One of the most beautiful elements of video games is that the setting for a game can be literally anything the game developer wants. If they want a game set in modern times? They can do that! If they want to jump to the future and predict how things will go? They have that option, too! Another classic choice is to go back in time to key periods of history and see how they can interpret or reinterpret what went down in certain periods of history to create something special. Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch was one such game, and the results were nothing short of masterful.
Seriously, the game is hailed as one of the best games of modern times, if not one of the greatest games ever made, and the detail and effort that Sucker Punch put into the title has been praised by just about everyone. However, there’s one twist in this tale that you might not have heard of. Given how the game turned out, you might think that Sucker Punch was “ready to go from day one” to make the Samurai title, but you’d be wrong.
In an interview with Kind Funny Games, former PlayStation Studios head Shuhei Yoshida noted that Sucker Punch was actually incredibly hesitant about making Ghost of Tsushima. Why would that be? Simply put, they are an American studio, and the game was meant to be as accurate as possible to Japanese culture and Samurai lore as possible. The team’s immediate worry was about doing something wrong and upsetting the people of Japan. A noble worry, indeed.
To resolve this issue, Yoshida himself helped the team in terms of accuracy and pointed out when things were “wrong” in one form or another. The team also worked with PlayStation’s dedicated Japan studio to further ensure that accuracy was maintained. Sure enough, the game was a massive success in both the United States and Japan.
Now, if you’re thinking, “Wait, wasn’t there a game that DIDN’T do its due diligence in that respect recently?” you would be correct. Ubisoft’s assassination franchise is heading to Japan for its next title, and the dev team there made numerous mistakes that came out in both trailers and pre-order bonuses that shocked gamers and historians when it was unveiled. That is part of the reason why the game was delayed heavily, and many fear what the game will be like upon release.
In contrast, Sucker Punch is working on Ghost of Yotei, and many are pumped for its release.
