Since his departure from PlayStation, former exec Shuhei Yoshida has been revealing quite a bit about the inner workings of the company through various interviews. In one such interview with PlayStation Inside, Yoshida revealed that he has played early builds of Ghost of Yōtei, and that he believes that it will be even better than its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima.
When asked about the challenges faced by a non-Japanese studio trying to develop a game that is set in Japan, Yoshida answered by saying that the country’s market has traditionally been a difficult one for western developers to crack. However, he does note that the Japanese market tends to respond favourably to games that are set in the country and represent it well. He also spoke about how much research about Japanese history went into the development of Ghost of Tsushima, and how that helped the game get a warm reception in the country.
“Japan is a difficult market for Western games, that’s true. But I don’t know if there’s a recipe as such,” said Yoshida. “I think you need an understanding of Japan and its culture, especially for games like Ghost of Tsushima or Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which are set in the country and talk about its history.”
“In the case of Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch worked extensively with a Japanese producer at SIE, as well as colleagues at Japan Studio. This was a great help to the studio because the developers could show them their ideas and these Japanese people would tell them internally whether or not they were respectful of Japan and correct. The teams also visited Tsushima Island and made a real effort to immerse themselves in its history and traditions. They managed to capture the island’s unique atmosphere, which can be felt in the game, for example in the wind system, and I think that’s why it’s so successful. The game has even boosted tourism on Tsushima Island, which says a lot.”
Yoshida also mentioned that the market tends to respond well to games about Japan. “So, if you want to sell well in Japan, especially when you’re making a game about Japan, it’s important to have a development process that seeks to understand the country throughout,” he said.
When it comes to Ghost of Yōtei, Yoshida spoke about having played quite a few early builds of the game as it went through different stages of development. He praises developer Sucker Punch for the upcoming sequel, exclaiming that the studio has “done it again.”
“Ghost of Tsushima felt incredible to play, and having played Ghost of Yōtei at several stages of its development, I can assure you that it will be even better and that Sucker Punch has done it again,” he said.
Originally announced back in September 2024, Ghost of Yōtei got a trailer in April revealing that it will be coming to PS5 on October 2. The trailer also gave us a glimpse at the background of protagonist Atsu, and why she is on a quest to hunt down the Yōtei Six. Quite a few details about the game have since been revealed, including the fact that Sucker Punch refers to its open world as the “most open world” the studio has made so far.
In the meantime, pre-orders for the game have also gone live. For more details, check out some of the new weapon types that will be available in Ghost of Yōtei.
