Sucker Punch Accused of ‘Running Scared’ After Ghost of Yote Trailer Skips X Amid Charlie Kirk Controversy

Summary

• Sucker Punch dropped a new Ghost of Yote trailer on YouTube and BlueSky, but skipped X, sparking accusations of being ‘afraid.’
• Comments were hijacked by posts about Charlie Kirk’s murder, after a fired dev mocked his death.
• With dislikes piling up fast, the trailer risks being fully ratioed before the game’s release.

Sucker Punch Productions thought they were dropping hype. Instead, they dropped gasoline onto a bonfire.

The studio released a brand-new trailer for Ghost of Yote called “1,000 Blades” on YouTube and BlueSky, but not on X.

That decision alone lit up corners of the internet with accusations of cowardice. Critics immediately framed it as a deliberate dodge. And given how X has become ground zero for “ratio wars,” the absence was read as fear.

The trailer itself wasn’t met with roaring applause either. Within hours, it had around 89,000 views, 8.8k likes, and 6.4k dislikes. On paper that’s not a complete disaster, but the ratio was sliding fast.

Comment sections filled up not with chatter about sword fights or graphics, but about politics, boycotts, and the ghost of someone who had nothing to do with the game at all.

The Kirk Fallout

This isn’t happening in a vacuum. A week earlier, conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered.

The gaming community at large might not have expected that to cross over into PlayStation discourse. Then Drew Harrington, a senior developer at Sucker Punch, made a series of remarks online that seemed to mock Kirk’s death.

Screenshots spread quickly (see below). Accusations piled up. Harrington was fired, but Sucker Punch never issued a public apology.

That silence became the perfect opening for critics to hammer the studio. In their eyes, it was proof that the company wasn’t sorry at all, only strategically quiet because the game is weeks away from launch.

As one angry YouTube commenter put it: “Rest in peace Charlie. You’ll be remembered. Sucker Punch will not.”

That line floated to the top of the video’s comments. And dozens of similar posts buried anything positive under a flood of “RIP Charlie” memorials.

Credit: Reproduction / Social Media

Fans or Enemies?

The backlash is tangled up with broader resentment about how Sucker Punch has handled the sequel. Many longtime Ghost of Tsushima fans were expecting the return of protagonist Jin Sakai.

Instead, the sequel stars a new female lead, described by detractors as a “girl boss” insertion.

Fueling the fire is the casting of Erica Isi, an actress and activist known for outspoken LGBTQ+ advocacy.

For critics, this was more than casting, it was a statement. In their narrative, Sucker Punch “chose activism over storytelling.”

Add to that the hiring of John Dombrow, a writer from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (another game roasted for “modern audience” targeting), and you have the perfect storm.

Comparing Numbers

The stats tell a story of slippage.

• The new “1,000 Blades” trailer: ~89k views, 8.8k likes, 6.4k dislikes within hours.
• The Song of Vengeance trailer at Gamescom: ~425k views, 20k likes, 4k dislikes after weeks online.

The Gamescom trailer didn’t exactly explode with hype. Audience reaction at the live event was infamously muted.

Still, it wasn’t ratioed. It looked more like indifference than hostility.

This week’s trailer is different. The hostility is the story. Comment sections read like political forums.

Supporters of Kirk are hijacking the conversation, while others are questioning why Sony and Sucker Punch can’t even make a short statement denouncing the mocking of his death.

If YouTube dislikes continue to climb, the video could cross into full-blown ratio territory within days. And once that happens, the headlines basically write themselves.

Credit: Reproduction / YT

Fear of X

Why wasn’t the trailer posted on X? That’s the question burning up social feeds.

The obvious explanation is PR control. X has become the platform where campaigns of coordinated “comment brigading” thrive. Companies often delay or avoid posting there when expecting blowback.

But critics aren’t buying it. They see it as proof of weakness.

The running theory: Sucker Punch knows the trailer would be instantly buried under waves of “RIP Charlie Kirk” posts, and they weren’t willing to face it.

Well, that’s not exactly the kind of marketing narrative you want in the final stretch before release.

Audience Drift

At the heart of all this is the sense that Sucker Punch abandoned its old audience in pursuit of a “modern” one.

The critics frame it like this:

• Jin Sakai removed.
• Replaced with a female lead, branded “activist.”
• Hires from politically charged studios and games.
• Radio silence on controversy, except firing an employee quietly.

The conclusion drawn by detractors is blunt: this isn’t a game for them anymore.

So whether that’s true or not doesn’t matter as much as perception.

Once enough players believe they’re being excluded or talked down to, the backlash becomes self-fueling.

Comment Section Theater

Scrolling the YouTube page is like watching a protest in real time.

• “Rest in peace Charlie Kirk.”
• “You’ll be remembered. Sucker Punch will not.”
• “Is it really that hard to denounce your own employees celebrating someone’s death?”
• “Y’all hired an activist as the main character. You knew what you were doing.”

Positive comments are rare. You have to dig deep to find anyone actually excited about the game. The dominant vibe is hostile, sarcastic, or mournful.

Even people who admit they weren’t paying much attention to Ghost of Yote are now piling in just to “ratio” the trailer and punish the studio.

That’s how fast online narratives snowball.

Credit: Reproduction / YT

A Mess Before Release

The timing could not be worse. The game is only weeks away, and Sucker Punch should be coasting into launch with excitement, gameplay previews, and countdowns.

But now they’re dodging one platform entirely and watching their YouTube presence melt into a political shouting match.

If they stay silent, the controversy doesn’t die, it festers. If they say something, they risk angering the new audience they’ve tried so hard to cultivate.

It’s the definition of a no-win situation.

Well…

The Ghost of Yote backlash is about more than one trailer. It’s about how modern game studios navigate culture wars, fan expectations, and PR disasters all at once.

The choice to pivot away from Jin Sakai was already risky. The choice to staff the sequel with figures tied to activism and polarizing franchises only heightened scrutiny.

Then the Harrington incident poured gasoline on everything.

Right now the studio is being accused of cowardice for simply not pressing “post” on one social media platform. And that’s the reality of 2025, sometimes what you don’t do online becomes the story.

The internet thrives on outrage.

This cycle could burn itself out by release day if reviews are glowing and the gameplay delivers. Players have short memories when they’re having fun.

But the early signs aren’t encouraging. If the narrative going into launch is “Sucker Punch is scared of its own audience,” then no amount of samurai duels and sweeping landscapes will fully erase that perception.

The game might sell fine.

Or it might stumble into the same pit as other titles accused of chasing the “modern audience” at the expense of loyal fans.

Either way, Ghost of Yote isn’t riding into battle with clean armor. It’s dragging a mess of baggage, and everyone online is watching to see if it trips.