With Ghost of Yotei’s release drawing near, Sucker Punch Productions found itself at the center of controversy. An employee posted a joke about Charlie Kirk’s murder and was promptly fired. Now, studio co-founder Brian Fleming has spoken out, stressing that trivializing violence has no place at Sucker Punch.

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, longtime Sucker Punch artist Drew Harrison sparked outrage with a post on social media. He joked that he hoped the shooter’s name was Mario so Luigi would know his brother had his back. The backlash was swift: within 24 hours, Harrison was dismissed from his position of over a decade at the PlayStation-owned studio.

Brian Fleming confirmed the dismissal in an interview with Game File, stating, “The facts are accurate, Drew Harrison no longer works here.” According to Fleming, the studio acted quickly because associating with comments that make light of a killing is incompatible with their values and reputation.

He added: “As a studio, we agree that celebrating or trivializing murder is unacceptable, and we condemn it outright.” Fleming also noted that public figures across the board condemned Kirk’s killer and reaffirmed that violence is never the solution. At Sucker Punch, the principle is clear: those who take such matters lightly do not belong.

Wrapping up his comments, Fleming underlined, “This is our studio, and we are where we are because of the values we stand by.” Meanwhile, anticipation for Ghost of Yotei continues to build, with the trophy list already leaked ahead of its official release.

Source: Gamingbible, Game File