Summary
Ghost of Yotei’s setting and premise were a bit unexpected due to one rather significant reason: they effectively leave behind Jin Sakai’s story in exchange for one following a brand-new protagonist in an unexplored time period. Given how beloved Jin has become over time sinceGhost of Tsushima’s 2020 release, it’s perfectly understandable why some fans might not be ready to leave the character behind. However, Jin’s story essentially being discontinued inGhost of Yoteimeans theGhostfranchise is, in a sense, set up for a long life, as it can now broaden its horizons with new characters and settings that it might not have been able to if it had chosen to keep the story ofGhost of Tsushimagoing.
Sucker Punch’sGhostfranchiseis far from the first to do something like this, as Ubisoft’sAssassin’s Creedseries, for instance, is one of the most familiar examples of this form of storytelling in action. In the same way thatAssassin’s Creedhas been able to tell countless unique stories using its format and has remained alive for nearly two decades now,Ghost of Yoteisets up Sucker Punch’sGhostfranchise to do the same. The main obstacle it will need to overcome thatAssassin’s Creedhas somewhat struggled to master is continuing to innovate while simultaneously remaining true to its groundbreaking roots.
Ghost of Yotei’s Storytelling Approach Sets Up the Franchise for a Long Life
Continuing Jin’s Story Might Have Limited the Franchise’s Potential
While it might have profited the character of Jin Sakai for Sucker Punch to simply continueGhost of Tsushima’s storywith a direct sequel, going that direction might have limited the franchise’s potential — potential thatGhost of Yoteihas begun introducing. Merely continuingGhost of Tsushima’s story would not only have restricted the franchise to a very narrow period of time, but it would have also not allowed the series to explore a different protagonist altogether. In a way, it might have turned out exactly like theAssassin’s Creed 2trilogy, which was a bit of a roller coaster in reception from the first game to the third and might have been better ending with the first game or, at least, the second.
This is all, of course, not to say that Jin is gone forever, as he could “appear” in some form or fashion inGhost of Yotei’s narrative, whether through a flashback or some other creative way. It could be that Sucker Punch eventually decides to go back to Jin’s story at some point in the future, givingGhost of Tsushimathe direct sequel that many fans assumed would happen in place ofGhost of Yotei. However, that is unlikely to happen, given the developer’s new goal of wanting to maintain the idea and concept of the Ghost, rather than simply telling one Ghost’s story over the course of multiple games.
The Ghost Franchise Can Now Have Any Number of Protagonists, Settings, and Premises
Now thatGhost of Yoteihas set Sucker Punch’sGhostfranchise on an open-ended path, it can feature any number of unique protagonists, settings, and premises, thereby setting it up for long-term success. Fortunately, there are several compelling settings theGhostfranchise could explore at some point in the future, like theSengoku period, which lasted from 1467 to 1615.Ghost of Yoteitakes place right in the middle of the transition from the Sengoku period to the Edo period, which means there’s plenty of potential for a futureGhostgame to go a bit back in time to what is one of the most chaotic eras in Japanese history.
While it might have profited the character of Jin Sakai for Sucker Punch to simply continueGhost of Tsushima’s story with a direct sequel, going that direction might have limited the franchise’s potential.
Japan’s Heian period, which saw the rise of the samurai class during a time of political intrigue, would be the perfect setting for aGhost"origins" game, so Sucker Punch could explore it at some point. Finally, the Bakumatsu period, which took place during the final days of the Edo period, saw Japan opening up to the West and the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate. This is the setting shared byTeam Ninja’sRise of the Ronin, which has been labeled as aGhost of Tsushimaclone anyway. In short,Ghost of Yoteiwas the right move for Sucker Punch to make in a lot of ways, as the door forGhost’s future is now held wide open with possibilities.
