After years of silence from Sucker Punch Productions,Ghost of Yotei, the long-awaited follow-up to 2020’sGhost of Tsushima, is finally almost here. Originally announced during a State of Play in September 2024,Ghost of Yoteiis the first game that Sucker Punch has ever made from the ground up for PS5. It isn’t a direct sequel toGhost of Tsushima, per se, but it does feature the same premise and gameplay loop as its predecessor. The game takes place hundreds of years after the events ofGhost of Tsushima, and rather than Jin Sakai, it follows an all-new protagonist, a female ronin named Atsu.
Ghost of Yoteiis currently set to be released on June 19, 2025,exclusively for the PS5. Prior to its launch, however, the game will get a State of Play dedicated to it sometime in July, which is going to give players a deeper look at its gameplay systems. Although some fans may be upset that they still have to wait a few more months forGhost of Yotei’s launch, Sucker Punch and its parent company, Sony, have probably made the right choice by settling on an October launch date for the game, as it will allowGhost of Yoteito take its shot at as many accolades as possible during the year-end awards shows.
Ghost of Yotei is Primed to Compete for Tons of Year-End Accolades
Considering How Well Ghost of Tsushima Was Received, Ghost of Yotei is Likely to Be a Critical Hit
Despite the fact thatGhost of Tsushima’s Metacritic and OpenCritic scores were lower compared to Sony’s other AAA releases, the game earned tons of praise in the year that it was released in, and it was even nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2020.Ghost of Tsushimawas one ofthe last Sony first-party exclusives for the PS4, and it was the perfect swan song for Sony’s eighth-generation console, as it capped off a decade of amazing exclusive content from the company. If it’s anywhere near as good as its predecessor,Ghost of Yoteiwill likely be a GOTY contender as well.
Ghost of Yotei’s Late October Release Will Keep it Fresh in the Minds of Gamers Come Year’s End
SinceGhost of Yoteiis being launched in October, it will still be fresh in people’s memories by the timethe Game Awards are hosted in early December. This, in turn, means that the game will be more likely to be nominated for awards at the event, if it’s anything like its predecessor. Critically-acclaimed games that come out in the early part of the year sometimes do not get as many year-end accolades as they potentially deserve, because people often think about newer games more positively than older ones. This recency bias plays a big role in determining what games get nominated for awards come year’s end.
Some Games are Released Too Late to Qualify for The Game Awards
On the other side of the spectrum, however, some games are released far too late in order to be qualified for events like The Game Awards. Microsoft has often suffered from this issue, more so than other publishers. In the last few years, the company has released several of its biggest titles,likeForza Horizon 5,Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, andHalo Infinite, in December. Because of this, none of these games were nominated for any categories at The Game Awards, even though many of them were critically acclaimed. Sony may want to avoid an incident like this withGhost of Yotei.
Halo Infinitedid win the Player’s Choice award at The Game Awards 2021, but that’s only because that category does not have a pre-December deadline like the other ones do.
Awards and Critic Scores Sometimes Play a Big Role in Determining a Game’s Success
Although a lot of gamers don’t care about award shows, critic scores, and the like, they often matter a lot to companies like Sony, since they sometimes impact the overall success of their games. Sony has greenlit follow-ups to many of its award-winning titles over the years, and it often touts the accolades of its games in marketing materials. On one occasion, in fact, the company refused to greenlighta sequel to the 2019 action-adventure gameDays Gone, in part because it was poorly received by critics. Sony will probably want to ensureGhost of Yoteigets as much time in the spotlight as possible for the remainder of 2025, so that it can be a contender for awards by the end of the year.
