Sucker Punch confirms it fired employee over comments about Charlie Kirk’s death

"Making light of someone's murder is a deal-breaker for us."

Sucker Punch head Brian Fleming has confirmed the studio has fired artist Drew Harrison over comments made after the shooting, and subsequent murder, of far-right activist Charlie Kirk.

Harrison, who worked as an artist at the studio for close to ten years, said, “I hope the shooter’s name is Mario so that Luigi knows his bro got his back,” following Kirk’s shooting, referencing Luigi Mangione. Mangione is set to go to trial over his alleged assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson back in December last year.

The artist was fired within 24 hours of her post, and wrote that Sucker Punch had received numerous emails about her comments. She added that she received a number of missed calls during the same period, likely from those who disagreed with her comments.

Speaking with Game File, Fleming confirmed that Harrison was indeed fired over her comments.

“The facts are accurate, Drew’s no longer an employee here,” he told the outlet. “I think we’re aligned as a studio that celebrating or making light of someone’s murder is a deal-breaker for us, and we condemn that, kind of in no uncertain terms. That’s sort of our studio, and that’s kind of where we are.”

Harrison herself stands by her comments, taking to Bluesky to say, “if standing up against fascism is what cost me my dream job I held for 10 years, I would do it again 100x stronger.”

She also defended her former studio, adding, “Sucker Punch is amazing and one of the last few bright shining lights in the game industry. I still support them and I cannot condone any animosity directed at them. It’s truly all the best people.”

As per The New York Times, Kirk held a number of controversial beliefs. For example, he called the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a “mistake” that he said had been turned into “an anti-white weapon”.