Ghost of Yotei Dev Reportedly Fired After Comment About Charlie Kirk Assassination

Sucker Punch has reportedly fired a Ghost of Yotei character artist over comments she made online in the wake of the assassination of right-wing political commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Ghost of Yotei is set to be one of the biggest PlayStation 5 releases of the fall season, but it will apparently be moving forward without the continued work of senior character artist Drew Harrison.

On September 10, Kirk was making a public appearance at Utah Valley University when a shot rang out through the crowd. Sitting under a tent while debating gun violence with an attendee, Kirk was struck in the neck by a bullet and collapsed from his chair. He was rushed from the scene of the shooting to Timpanogos Regional Hospital and underwent emergency surgery, but was later pronounced dead.

The shooting has led to a flurry of polarizing activity on social media, with many expressing their condolences to Kirk’s family or condemning gun violence, and some others making light of the situation. Hours after Kirk’s death had been publicly announced, a post was added to Harrison’s Bluesky account, stating, “I hope the shooter’s name is Mario so that Luigi knows his bro got his back.” This comment clearly references Luigi Mangione, who has been indicted for the New York City murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, while also referring to characters from the Super Mario franchise.

A follow-up post on Thompson’s Bluesky account, posted on September 11, states, “If standing up against fascism is what cost me my dream job I held for 10 years, I would do it again 100x stronger.” Her LinkedIn account indicates that she has served as senior staff character artist at Sucker Punch Productions since September 2016, but her recent comments indicate that she is no longer serving in that role. Some commenters have expressed the desire to set up a GoFundMe account in Harrison’s name, but she has rejected this offer, stating that she would prefer money be sent to the American Civil Liberties Union, suicide prevention organization The Trevor Project, or the families in need in Gaza.

The political polarization surrounding Kirk’s death has resulted in strongly opposed viewpoints to Harrison’s apparent firing. Ghost of Yotei’s release date is set for October 2, and at least one commenter has stated they have canceled their pre-order purchase of the game in opposition to Thompson’s reported termination. Thompson herself seems to hold no ill will against Sucker Punch, stating that the game is made by a team of “200 people I love dearly.”