Sony has recently laid off an unspecified number of employees from its Visual Arts studio in San Diego and PS Studios Malaysia, according to reports from Kotaku and statements from former employees on LinkedIn.

Kotaku reported that the affected staff were informed 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, has collaborated with other PlayStation first-party studios, notably on the remasters of The Last of Us Part 1 and 2.

IGN has confirmed through LinkedIn posts that several developers from Visual Arts, as well as at least one from PS Studios Malaysia, were laid off. A former Visual Arts employee mentioned that these layoffs were a result of "multiple project cancellations."

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

These layoffs are part of a broader trend of job cuts and project cancellations in the gaming industry that began in 2023. That year alone saw over 10,000 game developers laid off, a figure that increased to over 14,000 in 2024. In 2025, the trend has persisted, though exact numbers are harder to come by as more studios are reluctant to disclose the full extent of the layoffs.