Ghost of Yōtei builds upon Ghost of Tsushima while shifting to Atsu’s journey. Read on to learn more about how developer Sucker Punch approached the changes and how they balanced freedom and story.
Ghost of Yōtei Moving On From Jin Sakai and Studio Future Plans
Building Upon Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Yōtei developer Sucker Punch recently unveiled new details about the game during its State of Play on July 10, and directors Nate Fox and Jason Connell highlighted how the studio built upon the success of Ghost of Tsushima. In an interview with VGC on July 17, both directors shared their insights on their approach to moving forward with a new lead for the series.
Tsushima was a critically acclaimed title that focused on the authenticity of Japanese culture and cinematic storytelling. At the center of it all was the protagonist Jin Sakai’s story of honor and freedom, which captivated audiences. With the sequel on the horizon, Sucker Punch paid their respects to Tsushima and how they will transition to a new era.
Fox stated, "We love Jin Sakai. We spent a lot of years bringing his story to life. But when we set out on the long road to creating a sequel, we wanted to make something that excited us all at Sucker Punch. We think that enthusiasm and love for building an origin story comes through for players being able to experience something very new as well."
Despite their love for Jin Sakai, they wanted to explore more things for the series. "So, while we really love Jin Sakai and his story of letting go of his honor to become the ghost, we wanted to let players experience this new version of what it is to be a ghost in Feudal Japan," Fox said.
Finding Your Own Path While Keeping the Balance of Freedom and Story
With the changing of the guard in terms of the game’s narrative, Sucker Punch also placed great emphasis on improving Yōtei’s open world. The team focused on giving players more options for exploration and on how they can approach the story. Fox explained, "That moment where the game’s not telling you really about where to go or what to do. It’s you. That’s the most beautiful thing about open-world games."
However, they noted that the game’s openness will not veer away from their goal to deliver a deep narrative that is pivotal to Yōtei. Connell elaborated, "It’s very difficult to have a story with no structure. You’re going to have a beginning, middle, and an end, so while Atsu’s journey is to hunt down the Yotei Six, by no means are we going to let you go and kill all six with no story structure. We value the story so much."
During an interview with Game Informer on July 17, Connell further explained the game’s structure and its relationship to the story. He said, "It's really important to us that we develop great characters with good arcs with beginning, middles, and ends. You got to have that, right? That is true. There is an arc with a structure in place. But at the same time, one of the aspects from Ghost of Tsushima that we wanted to not only carry forward but just do an even better job of, was that sense of curiosity and freedom of exploration that the game delivers upon."
Comparisons to Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Beyond Sucker Punch’s approach to the open world system and narrative, fans are quick to compare Yōtei to Assassin’s Creed Shadows, considering both titles explore Japanese culture and traditions. Fox told VGC that Yōtei is inspired by history, but does not aim for a one-to-one presentation of Hokkaido in 1603.
He stated, "Our game is a work of fiction. However, we do want to make the world feel authentic and be very respectful to the cultures that existed there. Thankfully, we are a part of Sony. So we have a lot of colleagues in Tokyo who really help us out, who give us a lot of guidance."
Sucker Punch was keen to incorporate real-life elements into the game, showcasing Hokkaido’s sense of danger and beauty as they visited the area and conducted research on the Ainu culture. "We want to be as faithful as we can to do right by this group of people who are not often portrayed in video games. So we have these guides that review our game, review scripts to make sure that we’re doing right by the groups that we’re portraying inside of this game, that while fiction, it has a feeling of authenticity to it."
Meanwhile, Connell stated to Game Informer that the team is excited about the comparisons. "We were very, very excited about anything, film overlap, game stuff – these things are just inevitable as creators and you learn to embrace it. And Ubisoft makes awesome games. I've been making games for a really long time. I think it's just fun to see so many other cool games in this space. It's exciting for us," he said.
Outside of the Ghost series, fans are also curious about Sucker Punch’s other hit franchise, inFamous. However, the studio still has its hands full with Yōtei and would like to focus on that currently. Fox said, "I would love to work on more Infamous. I would love to see a trilogy rerelease, but Sucker Punch is a one game at a time shop, and right now we are very focused on finishing Ghost of Yōtei."
With Sucker Punch’s latest reveals and previous statement of the game being the biggest project under their studio, fans are excited to experience the new chapter in the Ghost series. Ghost of Yōtei will launch on October 2, 2025 exclusively on the PlayStation 5. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
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Ghost of Yotei directors talk open world philosophy and moving on from Jin Sakai
Ghost Of Yōtei Directors Share Philosophy On Balancing Freedom With Story
