Sony has big ambitions for Ghost of Yotei, and indeed Sucker Punch's Ghost franchise – it wants to expand the video games into movies, TV shows, and other spinoffs.
In an interview with The New York Times, Herman Hulst, chief executive of Sony's studio business group, said that expanding PlayStation franchises into other entertainment formats brings fans back to the original games, which they first saw in HBO's hugely successful The Last of Us series.
“From a business perspective it makes a lot of sense,” Hulst said. “When a television series or movie comes out, people are inspired to play again or find friends to play with.”
Ghost of Yotei, a sequel to the PS4 game Ghost of Tsushima that's due to arrive on PS5 in 2025, is described as the start of an official franchise that will include at least one film and other spinoffs. A film based on Ghost of Tsushima has been in the works for some time, with John Wick director Chad Stahelski set to star in the lead role.
Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions announce Ghost of Tsushima film in March 2021 And Stahelski said last year that it was “in deep development.”
He said, “I love this movie, see, Jin Sakai's sports story, and I would say it's the most anti-samurai samurai movie because the plot, the themes, and Jin Sakai's journey are so great.”
Jin's transformation from an honorable samurai to the infamous Ghost of Tsushima, balancing his own pride with the survival of his people, is “very interesting,” Stahelski said. “The characters in the story are definitely something I don't want to lose in any way.”
Stahelski previously said he wanted to get the film right and there is The cast and language are Japanese tooSony “fully agrees” with this.
Sony has gained experience turning its PlayStation franchises into blockbuster movies and TV shows. In addition to the aforementioned The Last of Us HBO TV series, the Uncharted film starring Tom Holland earned nearly $400 million.
The New York Times article also reports that Ghost of Tsushima has sold 13 million copies since it went on sale in 2020, making it one of the most successful PlayStation Studios games ever.
Creative directors Nate Fox and Jason Connell said that for Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch wanted to “find a balance” against the repetitive open-world gameplay and could offer story options. The pair also confirmed plans to let players master firearms in addition to melee weapons like the katana.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].