Ghost of Yotei’s Time Skip Shouldn’t Rule Out One Future Period

While Ghost of Tsushima fans might have been expecting the next game to be a direct sequel featuring Jin Sakai, Sucker Punch pulled a fast one on them and chose to deliver Ghost of Yotei instead. Not only does Ghost of Yotei feature a brand-new protagonist, Atsu, but it is also set 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima, during the Edo period of Japan, right in the heart of Ezo, known today as “Hokkaido.”

The time jump between Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yotei certainly benefits Sucker Punch’s plans to make Ghost a full-blown franchise as opposed to one continuous story, but the centuries between the two games ultimately leave out one of the most important eras in Japan. However, perhaps a future Ghost game could still explore this period, and there are plenty of reasons why it should.

Related

Ghost of Yotei’s Map Could Have a Hard Time Avoiding One Issue Tsushima Side-Stepped

Due to its setting, Ghost of Yotei might find it difficult to avoid one major issue with its map that its predecessor’s setting allowed it to avoid.

The Ghost Franchise Shouldn’t Forget the Sengoku Period

Ghost of Yotei’s Time Jump Skipped the Sengoku Period

Since Ghost of Yotei is set 300 years after the events of Ghost of Tsushima, it effectively skips one of the most important periods of Japanese history: the Sengoku period, otherwise known as “Sengoku Jidai.” Ghost of Tsushima is set in the year 1274, during the Kamakura period, while Ghost of Yotei is set in 1603, during the Edo period. The Sengoku period, however, lasted from 1467-1568, and marks one of the most turbulent and violent periods of Japanese history. Given its rich history and the state Japan was in during Sengoku Jidai, it would only make sense for a future Ghost game to be set during it.

The Sengoku Period Would Be Perfect for a Future Ghost Game

The Sengoku period, also known as the “Warring States” period in Japan, was rife with intense civil conflict, political instability, and the rise of powerful samurai clans. Similar to how the Mongol invasion of Japan was the major threat in Ghost of Tsushima, the Sengoku period was defined by constant conflict between powerful warlords, samurai, and rival factions. Additionally, in the Sengoku period, samurai were forced to adapt to new forms of warfare and political structures as the world rapidly changed around them. Each of these elements would undoubtedly work together to produce a compelling story with engaging gameplay in the Ghost franchise.

Firstly, the Sengoku setting has the potential to offer a memorable narrative for a Ghost game, as it could explore themes of loyalty, honor, and the conflict between tradition and evolution, much like Ghost of Tsushima did with Jin’s internal struggle and the Mongol invasion of Japan. There is also plenty of room in the Sengoku period for a future Ghost game to feature the large-scale battles that Ghost of Tsushima‘s more stealth-focused gameplay couldn’t have allowed, especially in light of how much conflict was present during the era. On that same note, a future Sengoku Ghost game could feature a more chaotic form of gameplay that Ghost of Tsushima (and perhaps Ghost of Yotei) couldn’t have featured.

In order to take advantage of the Sengoku period, the Ghost franchise will need to move back in time at some point after Ghost of Yotei, but that shouldn’t be too difficult to do, especially with Sucker Punch’s aim to tell a variety of different stories using the idea of the Ghost, rather than simply telling the story of one character. There is arguably little reason why a future Ghost title wouldn’t be set during Sengoku Jidai, but perhaps the developer has already considered it, and the only thing between the idea and its manifestation is time.

Your changes have been saved

My List

My Favorite Games
My Played Games
My Games Wishlist

Ghost of Yōtei

Action

Adventure

Open-World

Systems

Released

2025-00-00

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment