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Ghost of Yōtei Developer Drew Harrison Speaks After Sucker Punch Firing

Drew Harrison said a harassment campaign led to her dismissal from Sucker Punch. The studio’s public explanation and her account differ, and the decisive motive remains unconfirmed.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Former Sucker Punch artist Drew Harrison said she believes a harassment campaign—not her Charlie Kirk post—led to her dismissal. Sucker Punch co-founder Brian Fleming had publicly said the studio considers making light of murder a deal-breaker. Sony confirmed Harrison was no longer employed at the studio, but the available reporting does not establish which factor was decisive in the company’s decision.

What happened to Drew Harrison?

On September 10, 2025, Harrison, an artist at Sucker Punch Productions, posted a joke referencing the killing of Charlie Kirk and Luigi Mangione, who had been accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The post read: “I hope the shooter’s name is Mario so that Luigi knows his bro got his back.” Sony later confirmed Harrison was no longer employed at Sucker Punch. Game Developer described her as a ten-year veteran of the studio.

In a response reported at the time, Harrison wrote: “If standing up against fascism is what cost me my dream job I held for 10 years, I would do it again 100x stronger.” That was her characterization of the post and her job loss, not independent confirmation of the reason for her dismissal.

What did Sucker Punch say about the firing?

On September 19, 2025, Sucker Punch co-founder and studio head Brian Fleming told Game File that Harrison was no longer an employee. He said: “I think we’re aligned as a studio that celebrating or making light of someone’s murder is a deal-breaker for us, and we condemn that, kind of in no uncertain terms. That’s sort of our studio, and that’s kind of where we are.” A Sony representative present for the interview said the company had no further comment.

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Fleming’s statement set out the studio’s position on making light of murder. It did not publicly detail the internal decision-making process. Kotaku also reported Fleming’s comments at the time.

What did Harrison say afterward?

In an interview published November 24, 2025, by Aftermath, Harrison said she believed the harassment campaign, rather than the joke itself, caused her firing. “I was fired because of a harassment campaign. It wasn’t the result of a bad joke,” she said. She also acknowledged, “Full disclosure, the joke was not in the best taste,” and said nobody asked her to delete it or apologize.

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Aftermath reported Harrison’s account that she received threatening calls and texts, that other Sucker Punch employees were also targeted, and that she was dismissed during a brief video call with a Sony HR employee. Harrison said she felt nobody investigated the harassment directed at her and her coworkers. These details are her account as reported by Aftermath; Sony did not reply to that outlet’s multiple requests for comment.

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What is established—and what remains unclear?

  • Confirmed: Sony said Harrison was no longer employed at Sucker Punch after the September 10 post.
  • The studio’s stated position: Fleming said making light of murder was a deal-breaker for the studio.
  • Harrison’s account: She said harassment, not the joke, caused her dismissal and described threats and a brief HR call.
  • Not independently established: The available reporting does not resolve which consideration was decisive in Sony’s internal decision.

Harrison’s interview also placed the episode in a wider response to comments about Kirk’s killing. Aftermath cited a Reuters special report saying more than 600 people were fired, suspended, investigated, or otherwise actioned against. That is a broad, Reuters-attributed figure—not a count of Sucker Punch employees or people fired over Harrison’s post.

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Research psychologist Rachel Kowert, a visiting researcher at the University of Cambridge, told Aftermath: “Studios don’t want to address toxicity against their employees because they see it as confronting the dark sides of their community, which they believe is a core demographic.” That is Kowert’s analysis, not an official finding about Sucker Punch’s motive.

Ghost of Yōtei is a PlayStation 5 game developed by Sucker Punch and published by Sony. Its connection to this story is Harrison’s role at the studio, not a claim about the game’s content.

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