Summary
- Ghost of Yotei is set in Hokkaido, known as Ezo in 1603, offering a beautiful and dangerous backdrop for Atsu's revenge story.
- The game's non-linear campaign allows players to track the Yotei Six, Atsu's family's murderers, in Sucker Punch's largest open-world yet.
- Hokkaido's blend of natural beauty and danger matched the game's narrative, with developers aiming to capture the region's essence.
Ghost of Yotei’s game director, Nate Fox, is revealing all about what inspired the Sucker Punch Productions team to choose the game’s beautiful setting. Ghost of Yotei is already a shoo-in for game of the year despite not releasing until the end of the year, but its premature acclaim comes from the resounding success of its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima. This time, however, Y otei’s narrative will take place over 300 years after Jin Sakai’s story, and the sequel’s breathtaking location reinforces the game's new narrative and themes.
Ghost of Yotei was officially revealed during PlayStation’s State of Play presentation back in September 2024, and the sequel very quickly became one of the most anticipated games in development. After its new trailer and release date reveal, Ghost of Yotei soared to the top of PlayStation’s pre-order chart in several territories, including the US and UK, offering inviting physical and digital editions to purchase.
Ghost of Yotei’s Revenge Arc May Not Be as Straightforward as It Seems
Ghost of Yotei's revenge arc may sound like it's fairly straightforward, but clues in its latest trailer point to more complexity than meets the eye.
In addition to the game’s placement in history, the 1603 setting that Ghost of Yotei fans think will pave the way for one overarching theme, another defining feature is the sequel’s breathtaking setting: Hokkaido, which was previously called Ezo in 1603. Shared in a PlayStation blog post, Fox explained why the team was drawn to use Hokkaido as the game’s backdrop. “Yotei became a symbol of Hokkaido,” the director stated, referencing the prefecture’s mountain that also transpired to be “a symbol of home and of the family [Atsu] lost.” Sucker Punch deployed two reference gathering trips to explore Hokkaido, including Shiretoko National Park, and the team also brainstormed the game’s premise and ideas with the locals.
Ghost of Yotei Game Director Explains Why Hokkaido Was Chosen as the Setting
A former PlayStation executive believes Ghost of Yotei will be “even better” than Tsushima, and with Atsu’s revenge story upping the ante, the devs wanted to paint this narrative against an equally dramatic location. “[Hokkaido] effortlessly combines natural beauty and a sense of danger,” Fox explained, recalling hiking through stunning, snowy mountains while being wary of predators in the bushes. The director continued that Hokkaido was a “perfect marriage of beauty and danger,” which is the precise feeling the team wanted to capture for the game.
Ahead of its October 2, 2025, release date, Ghost of Yotei’s creative directors revealed key gameplay details. The big baddies of the sequel are the Yotei Six, and thanks to the game’s non-linear campaign, players can track down each of the masked members who murdered Atsu’s family in any order. Furthermore, Ghost of Yotei will deliver Sucker Punch’s largest open-world yet to harbor the protagonist’s tale of revenge, and fans will also have the opportunity to soak up authentic Ainu culture gathered through detailed research and advisories.
Ghost of Yotei
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- October 2, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure, Open-World
