Sony Lays Off Unknown Number of Workers at PlayStation Visual Arts Studio

Sony has recently conducted layoffs at its Visual Arts studio in San Diego and PS Studios Malaysia, according to reports from Kotaku and statements from former employees on LinkedIn. Affected employees were notified earlier this week that their last day would be March 7. These layoffs impacted developers who had worked on various projects, including a recently canceled live-service game at Bend Studio.

Visual Arts, known for providing art and technical support to PlayStation's first-party studios, has notably contributed to projects like The Last of Us Part 1 and 2 remasters. LinkedIn posts from former employees, as reported by IGN, confirm layoffs at both Visual Arts and PS Studios Malaysia. One ex-employee from Visual Arts mentioned that the layoffs resulted from "multiple project cancellations."

This marks the second round of layoffs at Visual Arts within the last two years, following another wave in 2023. The current number of employees at Visual Arts and the studio's ongoing projects remain undisclosed. IGN has sought comment from PlayStation regarding these developments.

These layoffs are part of a broader trend of job cuts and project cancellations within the gaming industry, which began in 2023. That year saw over 10,000 game developers laid off, a figure that increased to over 14,000 in 2024. In 2025, the trend persists, though exact numbers are less clear as more studios choose not to disclose the extent of their layoffs.