Sucker Punch Finally Condemns Drew Harrison Charlie Kirk Comments With Odd Statement After a Week of Gamer Backlash

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Sucker Punch Productions has responded to the dismissal of senior artist Drew Harrison after a week of not commenting. Harrison was fired for a troubling social media post that discussed harming Charlie Kirk.

Okay, so after a whole week of seeing comments *everywhere* about the upcoming PlayStation game, *Ghost of Yotei*, the developers finally responded. Honestly, though, their statement was a little confusing – it didn’t really address what everyone was talking about and left a lot of us wondering what’s going on.

Background: Harrison’s Comments

Drew Harrison, a concept artist who previously worked with Sucker Punch on the game *Ghost of Yotei*, posted a message on BlueSky after Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Many people interpreted the post as an expression of support for the violent act.

The response was immediate and strong. Players of all political views criticized the post, with some on the right saying it showed a harmful environment within the gaming world, and others calling it thoughtless and hurtful. Sony quickly announced that Harrison was no longer working on the project, within a day of the post appearing.

Harrison was defiant in her ousting, claiming that she would do it all again “100x stronger.”

Sony and Sucker Punch immediately removed the senior developer, but they didn’t publicly address the situation. This silence soon created a new problem and sparked further controversy.

The Sucker Punch Drew Harrison Statement

In an interview, Brian Fleming, co-founder and studio head at Sucker Punch, stated that Drew Harrison had been let go and made it clear they disapproved of his actions.

Fleming announced that Drew is no longer working at the studio. They emphasized that the studio firmly condemns making jokes about someone’s murder, stating that such behavior is unacceptable and goes against their values. This is a clear stance the studio is taking.

Initially, it seemed like a strong disapproval. However, the way Fleming phrased things was unusual. He frequently used words like “kind of” and “sort of,” which felt strange for a clear and definite statement. It didn’t sound like a prepared, official response – more like he was speaking off the cuff and with some hesitation.

Why Did It Take a Week?

The game’s newest trailer has received a lot of negative feedback, with over 56,000 dislikes compared to just 20,000 likes on YouTube.

It took a week of public outcry before the studio finally issued a statement. This delay has led some to wonder if Sucker Punch was motivated by genuine conviction, or if they only responded because they were forced to by an angry reaction from fans.

Boycotts from Both Sides

What’s unusual about this situation is that Sucker Punch is getting calls for boycotts from people across the political spectrum – both conservatives and liberals.

Gamers on the right are furious that a developer would openly joke about political violence, and believe the studio has a harmful work environment. Meanwhile, activists on the left are upset that the developer was fired, seeing it as Sony giving in to criticism from the right and promising to stop buying Sony games as a result.

It’s a rare situation where both camps are furious — and the game itself is caught in the middle.

The Bigger Picture

The delayed and clumsy statement from Sucker Punch highlights how fragile the gaming industry has become. One employee’s post can quickly create a major crisis for expensive game projects. Studios need to react quickly and firmly to avoid losing the confidence of players and the public.

Sucker Punch’s delayed and cautious announcement may have actually increased concerns about its direction. It’s unclear if the ‘Ghost of Yotei’ update can repair the resulting backlash, but the situation has already caused harm, and everyone involved will be carefully observing what happens next.

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2025-09-20 14:57