The next Japanese epic from Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch has been revealed. Ghost of Yôtei will be released for PS5 in 2025.
Jumping forward a few hundred years to the region around Mount Yôtei and the year 1603, there’s a real western feel to some of the landscapes and imagery they’ve chosen for this trailer.
In this game, of course, you cast yourself in the role of a new spirit named Atsu, who will travel through these lands, exploring grasslands and snowy tundras and encountering numerous dangers along the way. She’ll have a target on her back, that’s been made pretty clear!
Writing on the PS blogSucker Punch Comms Manager Andrew Goldfarb explained:
“When we set out to create a new Ghost game, we wanted to maintain the core pillars of Ghost of Tsushima: playing as a wandering warrior in feudal Japan, offering the freedom to explore at your own pace, and highlighting the beauty of the world.
“We also wanted to continue innovating. To create something fresh yet familiar, we looked beyond the story of Jin Sakai and the island of Tsushima, and shifted our focus to the idea of the Spirit. At Sucker Punch we love origin stories, and we wanted to explore what it could mean for a new hero to wear a Ghost mask and uncover a new legend. This led us to Ghost of Yōtei: a new protagonist, a new story to unfold, and a new region of Japan to explore.
“While we won’t dive into the details of the story today, we can reveal that Atsu’s journey takes place in 1603, more than 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima. Our story takes place in the lands surrounding Mount Yōtei, a towering peak in the heart of Ezo, an area of Japan today known as Hokkaido. In 1603, this area fell outside Japan’s rule and was filled with vast grasslands, snowy tundra, and unexpected dangers. It is a far cry from the organized samurai clans that lived in Tsushima, and it is the setting for an original story that we are eager to tell.”
Ghost of Tsushima was a huge hit for PlayStation and added to the growing line of prestigious AAA titles. Leading up to the game’s release, there were concerns that the tribute to samurai cinema would be too niche or that it would too closely mimic other open-world games. However, spurred on by the lockdown-induced gaming fever that many of us fell victim to in the summer of 2020, Ghost of Tsushima would shatter expectations to hit the PS4’s must-have exclusives. Since then, it launched on PS5 alongside the Iki Island DLC, and following the debut of its fantastic multiplayer expansion, it’s become a great game for the console.
Reflecting on our original Ghost of Tsushima review, Aran said: “Ghost of Tsushima is an artistic triumph, capturing a truly cinematic feel through its visuals, immersive world and soundtrack. However, Jin is a serviceable main character and he and his journey to save Tsushima are often overshadowed by secondary characters and smaller, more personal stories found in the side missions. Add in some formulaic missions and a clunky user interface, and Ghost of Tsushima is sometimes more style than substance.”