diff --git a/.github/RELEASE_NAMES.txt b/.github/RELEASE_NAMES.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ed2c3eeb98d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/RELEASE_NAMES.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+2.16.0  All My Love
+2.15.0  Ten Years Gone
+2.14.0  C'mon Everybody
+2.13.0  Nobody's Fault but Mine
+2.12.0  Dazed and Confused
+2.11.0  Hey Hey, What Can I Do
+2.10.0  When the Levee Breaks
+2.9.0   Immigrant Song
+2.8.0   How Many More Times
+2.7.0   In the Light
+2.6.0   Heartbreaker
+2.5.0   Kashmir
+2.4.0   Dancing Days
+2.3.0   Ramble On
+2.2.0   The Battle of Evermore
+2.1.0   The Song Remains the Same
+2.0.0   Over the Hills and Far Away
diff --git a/.github/RELEASE_NAMES.yml b/.github/RELEASE_NAMES.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 2bfc12e7edc..00000000000
--- a/.github/RELEASE_NAMES.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
----
-- 2.16.0  All My Love
-- 2.15.0  Ten Years Gone
-- 2.14.0  C'mon Everybody
-- 2.13.0  Nobody's Fault but Mine
-- 2.12.0  Dazed and Confused
-- 2.11.0  Hey Hey, What Can I Do
-- 2.10.0  When the Levee Breaks
-- 2.9.0   Immigrant Song
-- 2.8.0   How Many More Times
-- 2.7.0   In the Light
-- 2.6.0   Heartbreaker
-- 2.5.0   Kashmir
-- 2.4.0   Dancing Days
-- 2.3.0   Ramble On
-- 2.2.0   The Battle of Evermore
-- 2.1.0   The Song Remains the Same
-- 2.0.0   Over the Hills and Far Away
diff --git a/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.py b/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.py
index 81d90d81c3a..cac3071ded4 100644
--- a/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.py
+++ b/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Test that the release name is present in the list of used up release names
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from yaml import safe_load
+import pathlib
 
 from ansible.release import __codename__
 
@@ -30,8 +30,7 @@ from ansible.release import __codename__
 def main():
     """Entrypoint to the script"""
 
-    with open('.github/RELEASE_NAMES.yml') as f:
-        releases = safe_load(f.read())
+    releases = pathlib.Path('.github/RELEASE_NAMES.txt').read_text().splitlines()
 
     # Why this format?  The file's sole purpose is to be read by a human when they need to know
     # which release names have already been used.  So:
@@ -41,7 +40,7 @@ def main():
         if __codename__ == name:
             break
     else:
-        print('.github/RELEASE_NAMES.yml: Current codename was not present in the file')
+        print(f'.github/RELEASE_NAMES.txt: Current codename {__codename__!r} not present in the file')
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
diff --git a/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.requirements.in b/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.requirements.in
deleted file mode 100644
index c3726e8bfee..00000000000
--- a/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.requirements.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-pyyaml
diff --git a/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.requirements.txt b/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.requirements.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index 41ee6fa8d77..00000000000
--- a/test/sanity/code-smell/release-names.requirements.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-# edit "release-names.requirements.in" and generate with: hacking/update-sanity-requirements.py --test release-names
-PyYAML==6.0