Summary
Over the past decade,Sonyhas cultivated an ecosystem of first-party studios, each with its own respective major single-player series. These studios include Naughty Dog (The Last of Us), Guerrilla (Horizon), Sucker Punch (Ghost of…), Insomniac (Spider-Man), Sony Santa Monica (God of War), among others. This is an intentional strategy and, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman Hiroki Totoki, the publisher is going to be ramping up its efforts in the years ahead.
During Sony’sfinancial results presentationtoday, Totoki outlined the future strategy for PlayStation’s exclusive games (nice spot,Gematsu). “Starting withGhost of Yōtei, which is a sequel to the smash-hit Ghost of Tsushima, we plan to continue releasing major single-player game titles every year from the next fiscal year onwards,” Totoki revealed.
Sony Intends To Release A Major Game Annually
This isn’t really a departure from Sony, as the publisher has generally released a major single-player title annually. 2020 had Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, 2021 saw the release of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, 2022 had both Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok and 2023 had Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. This year hasn’t had a first-party major release but Sony did publish Until Dawn (2024), Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade.
It’s unclear if Totoki is specifically referring to studios which are wholly owned by Sony, or all games published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. For example, Kojima Productions is releasing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach next year, and the game is published by Sony, but Kojima Productions is an independent studio. Totoki refers to Ghost of Yōtei but not Death Stranding 2 in his quote, so perhaps he’s referring to only the company’s first-party studios.
It should be noted that fiscal years generally begin and end in April, rather than matching the calendar year. This means that while Sony may not have a major single-player game every calendar year, the publisher intends to have one every April to April period. However, since games tend to be released before the holiday season, this may end up being a non-point.
Ghost of Yōtei casts you in the role of “The Ghost” Atsu in the region of Hokkaido in 1603, with Sucker Punch promising more player agency in shaping the narrative, compared to Ghost of Tsushima.
Ghost of Yotei
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a bold, new story of a warrior in Japan who is on a mission of vengeance all her own.Set 300 years after the critically acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei is standalone experience set in 1600s rural Japan. The story follows a haunted, lone mercenary named Atsu. Thirsty for revenge, she travels through the beautiful, rugged landscapes of northern Japan, hunting those who killed her family many years earlier.
