During yesterday's State of Play event, PlayStation and Sucker Punch formally announced Ghost of Yōtei. While the 2025 title is a sequel to the 2020 one The Ghost of Tsushima, It is also seen as the start of a new franchise in the making.
For the The New York Times, Yotei is considered the “pivot” of a larger transmedia venture. Spin-offs are said to be in discussion, assuming the game does well, in addition to those previously announced Ghost of Tsushima movie.
The goal is to position the Ghost series alongside other AAA PlayStation franchises such as God of War and HorizonBoth games have (or in the case of the latter, I had) shows in development for streamers.
PlayStation has never been shy about its transmedia dreamsBut the Times report is the most direct he has ever written about these ambitions.
All aboard the adaptation train
In recent years, bringing games to other means has paid off extremely well: The Last of Us show and the Super Mario Movies have had critical or public success and have managed to win some awards (and more seasons OR movie) for their troubles.
It may also point players to the games themselves: Prime Video's Fallout show has been significantly revamped Players' interest in games, in particular Fallout 4 AND Fallout 76. A similar event occurred with The Last of Us and its 2023 Remake.
Herman Hulst, Sony’s chief executive of film studios, told The Times that his commitment to the adaptation was spurred by audiences’ success in seeing the remake, a goal the company has for all its major franchises.
“From a business perspective, it just makes sense,” Hulst said. “When a TV show or movie comes out, people are inspired to play again or make friends with people who play.”