Sucker Punch Productions, the video game developer behind famous releases like ‘Ghost of Tsushima’ and the ‘Infamous’ franchise, reportedly fired one of its senior character artists over her online comments on Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Drew Harrison’s 10-year-long career at the studio came to an end despite the upcoming release of ‘Ghost of Yotei’ in October 2025—said to be one of the biggest PlayStation 5 releases of the year.
Following the death of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday after a single gunshot to the neck during a public appearance at a Utah university, Drew wrote on BlueSky that she hoped “the shooter’s name is Mario so that Luigi knows his bro got his back”. This was before the shooter was revealed to be Tyler Robinson (22).
People quickly grasped the two references: the ‘Super Mario’ games, and Luigi Mangione, a man indicted for the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York.
Screenshots of her post quickly went viral on X, sparking debates about the line between dark humour and mocking the dead. A number of gamers also posted screenshots of cancelling their ‘Ghost of Yotei’ pre-orders in response.
“If standing up against fascism is what cost me my dream job I held for 10 years, I would do it again 100x stronger,” Harrison wrote, seemingly unaffected by the backlash.
While many defended Drew’s right to free speech, some of them also admitted the timing and tone of her comments were “a terrible look”.
However, others who have faced backlash for their Charlie Kirk-related comments have not been so lucky.
Marvel Cinematic Universe actor Chris Pratt faced a wave of online hate when he condoled Kirk’s death on his social media handle, expressing sorrow for the 31-year-old’s wife and children.
Legendary author Stephen King also faced netizens’ ire when he claimed that Kirk advocated stoning gay people—a claim that has since been fact-checked by netizens.