Sucker Punch Productions has offered new insights into Ghost of Yotei, the upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive set to follow in the footsteps of Ghost of Tsushima. In a recent interview with VGC, Creative Director Jason Connell and Game Director Nate Fox discussed key aspects of the game, including the absence of Jin Sakai and the scope players can expect from this new adventure.
One of the most notable revelations was the decision not to feature Jin Sakai as the protagonist. While the character’s journey became central to the identity of Ghost of Tsushima, Connell shared that the studio wanted to explore a new narrative angle with Ghost of Yotei.
“We love Jin Sakai. We spent a lot of years bringing his story to life. But when we are going to start off on the long road to creating a sequel, we wanted to make something that we all at Sucker Punch got excited to buy and we think that that enthusiasm and love for building an origin story comes through for players being able to experience something very new as well. … 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.”
Connell also commented on the game’s length, assuring fans that Ghost of Yotei was designed with a scope similar to that of Ghost of Tsushima. According to Connell, whether players stick to the main narrative, explore the open world, or aim for full completion, the experience should feel comparable in terms of time investment.
“We designed the game in mind with some of the similar numbers in terms of like scale and scope of the last experience. In that way we actually found it to be quite satisfying and there were some good numbers to jump off of. So, we feel that the experience for playing through a full playthrough of Ghost of Yotei, whether you’re just ripping through the story or you’re somebody that likes to go through the whole world and explore or you’re that hardcore platinum chaser, that it is a similar experience we expect in terms of the time commitment.”
Ghost of Tsushima took around 25 hours of gameplay for the main story and approximately 46 hours when including side quests, so Ghost of Yotei should offer a comparable playtime.
Another key topic of discussion was how the PlayStation 5 hardware has influenced development. Connell spoke highly of the platform’s capabilities, particularly highlighting the DualSense controller and its advanced features. He explained that Ghost of Yotei was built from the ground up for the PS5, allowing the studio to maximize the console’s technical strengths.
“It was such an incredible experience making Ghost of Tsushima for the PlayStation 4 and then pretty quickly seeing how that game showed up on the PlayStation 5. The PlayStation 5 is of course an incredible piece of hardware, but let’s face it, this controller is magnificent. I love the haptics. I love all of the way the touchscreen works. Ghost of Yotei is built from the ground up to use the PlayStation 5 to have those lightning fast loads to be able to use the DualSense controller to its maximum effect. And we learned a lot of lessons by seeing Ghost of Tsushima through the lens of that controller that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. So, it gave us a head start on how to make Yotei as PS5 friendly as possible and really to come alive through that controller, which I adore. And we could not have made this game without the PS5’s features which we’re very happy to be making a game exclusively really targeted for this controller. We do have some pro-enhanced stuff that we’ll be talking about. We don’t have the specifics that we’ve revealed just quite yet, but we’re excited about being able to share some more of those details pretty soon.”
Previously, Ghost of Yotei was showcased during Sony’s latest State of Play broadcast, where Sucker Punch offered a detailed look at the game’s combat mechanics, world-building, and customization options. With its release scheduled for October 2, 2025, Ghost of Yotei stands as one of the most anticipated PlayStation 5 exclusives for the year, aiming to expand on the legacy of Ghost of Tsushima while delivering a fresh experience tailored for new and returning players alike.
