Ghost Of Yotei Release Window, Story, Trailer, Open World, Characters and Everything Else We Know

Sony’s State of Play broadcast on September 24th contained a bunch of big news, but perhaps the most significant announcement came near the end, when Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima sequel was revealed. The sequel is not Ghost of Tsushima 2, or Ghost of Tsushima as some had expected. Instead, Sucker Punch is making a sequel in the form of Ghost of Yotei, featuring a new hero and a different time period.

In this post, we’ll be collecting everything we know about Ghost of Yotei, including the release date, story, characters, and setting.

When is Ghost of Yotei coming out?

Ghost of Yotei is in the works for PlayStation 5 and is scheduled for release sometime in 2025. However, a specific release date has not yet been announced. The first game, Ghost of Tsushima, was released in July 2020.

Pre-order Ghost of Yotei sequel

Ghost of Yotei was only announced on September 24th and is not yet available for pre-order.

Ghost of Yotei Trailer

The first trailer for Ghost of Yotei was released during PlayStation’s State of Play briefing back in September. The impressive three-minute trailer kicks off with an ominous-sounding voiceover that gets things rolling. “We’re past the edge of Japan. People are coming north to disappear,” a character says, before the trailer cuts to Mount Yotei and reveals a year in the future: 1603. “But you, you’re the one hunting, and now every ronin here is after you.” The trailer then introduces Ghost of Yotei’s protagonist, Atsu, before diving into a montage of sorts showing off the various environments, people and places that players will travel through throughout the game, along with a few weapons like swords and guns from feudal Japan.

“Our trailer offers a glimpse into this world, but there’s so much more to show and we’ll have much more to share in the coming months, including details about Atsu’s journey and the people (and animals) she’ll meet along the way,” the developer said.

Ghost of Yotei Platforms

Ghost of Yotei is coming to PlayStation 5. It’s Sucker Punch’s first game “built from the ground up” for the PS5. “We’re excited to build on the visual foundation we’ve laid in Ghost of Tsushima by making the world feel even more realistic,” the developer said.

Players can expect “huge sightlines,” new skies with aurora borealis and twinkling stars, and “more believable movement” of how the wind hits the grass and vegetation. The developer said the new setting also gives the team the opportunity to use “new mechanics, gameplay improvements, and even new weapons.”

Sucker Punch didn’t mention how Ghost of Yotei would benefit from the PS5 Pro’s increased power, or whether the game could ever come to PC.

Ghost of Yotei Story, Setting, and Characters

Ghost of Yotei is set in 1603, over 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima. That means the first game’s hero, Jin, doesn’t appear in this one. Sucker Punch said it wanted to make something “fresh but familiar,” and that meant looking beyond Jin and the island of Tsushima.

“At Sucker Punch, we love origin stories, and we wanted to explore what it could mean to have a new hero don a Ghost mask and reveal a new legend. This led us to Ghost of Yotei: a new protagonist, a new story to unfold, and a new region of Japan to explore,” the studio said.

Sucker Punch also said that it would not be revealing any story details for now. What it can say is that the game will take place in the areas surrounding Mount Yotei, a huge mountain in Ezo, now known as Hokkaido.

“In 1603, this area was outside of Japan’s control and filled with vast grasslands, snowy tundra, and unexpected dangers. It’s a stark contrast from the organized samurai clans that lived in Tsushima, and it’s the setting for an original story we can’t wait to tell,” said Sucker Punch.

Sucker Punch’s Nate Fox told The New York Times that during a visit to Shiretoko National Park, where he was recording nature sounds for the wildlife, he witnessed the park’s beauty and danger.

“In the park, you have to watch a video that tells you about the dangers of bears,” Fox said. “Being in this incredibly beautiful park with these jagged cliffs and water, and still being aware of dangerous bears all the time, was exciting. We’re trying to bring that into the video game — that sense of danger.”

Atsu is portrayed by Erika Ishii (Apex Legends, Mortal Kombat 1) in Ghost of Yotei.

Is Ghost of Yotei an open world game?

Ghost of Yotei is an open-world game, and that presented its own unique set of challenges. Jason Connell, the game’s co-creative director, told The New York Times: “One challenge that comes with making an open-world game is the repetitive nature of doing the same thing over and over again.”

Players will have access to a variety of weapons, including melee weapons like a katana and firearms. “We wanted to find a balance in that and find unique experiences,” Connell said.

Who is developing Ghost of Yotei?

Sucker Punch, the team that created Ghost of Tsushima, is returning to develop Ghost of Yotei.

Ghost of Yotei Development News

Sucker Punch said that when it was considering a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, the team wanted to “maintain the core pillars” of the first game. That meant taking on the role of a warrior in Feudal Japan, giving players the chance to explore the world at their own pace and experience the beauty of the world.

Fox told The New York Times: “When we started working on a sequel, the first question we asked ourselves was, ‘What is the DNA of a Ghost game?'” “It’s about taking the player into the romance and beauty of feudal Japan.”

Ghost of Tsushima was a huge hit for PlayStation, selling 13 million copies, according to The New York Times , so it was likely only a matter of time before a sequel was confirmed. The newspaper also reported that “other spinoffs” are in the works.

Ghost of Tsushima movie

In addition to Ghost of Yotei, Sony is making a Ghost of Tsushima movie through its PlayStation Productions division. PlayStation boss Hermen Hulst told The New York Times that these kinds of transmedia endeavors are simply good business when done right.

“From a business perspective, it makes a lot of sense,” he said. “When a TV show or movie comes out, people are inspired to play again or make friends to play.”

John Wick director Chad Stahelski has been attached to direct the Ghost of Tsushima movie, though there haven’t been any significant updates about the film in a while. In November 2023, Stahelski said that making a movie is “always tricky” but that the team was “really close to getting our sh** together” at the time.

Stahelski is attached to a number of upcoming projects, including the Ghosts of Tsushima film, a Highlander film, and a Rainbow Six film. He said the two that are “closest” and that he’s most interested in right now are the Highlander and Ghost of Tsushima projects.

“Both great, great properties, the Ghost story is also one of my favorite properties of all time,” he said. Whether Stahelski makes Highlander or Ghosts of Tsushima first remains to be seen.

Stahelski is working on how to push the “color palette” of the Ghost of Tsushima film, among other things. “How do you bring that world to life in a very realistic and grounded way?” he said.

Stahelski previously said that the success of the HBO TV series The Last of Us shows that a good video game adaptation “is possible.”