Yesterday, Sony held its long awaited PlayStation showcase to the delight of many fans. While the overall quality of the games on display is subjective based on each gamer's preferences, there are conversations regarding a lack of offerings from PlayStation's first party studios. There were rumblings of Santa Monica Studios new IP or even The Last of Us multiplayer project, but the most puzzling absence comes from Sucker Punch's rumored Ghost of Tsushima 2, as it was nowhere to be seen.
Although not officially confirmed by Sony or Sucker Punch, considering the immense critical and financial success of the first game in 2020, a sequel seems inevitable. Going into the showcase, fans were eager to see more information about PlayStation's exclusive games, and while Marvel's Spider-Man 2 filled some of that void, there were many gaps in between, some of which Ghost of Tsushima 2 could have easily filled.
The Next Move From Sucker Punch
As stated, the original Ghost of Tsushima was a smash hit on PS4 in 2020, earning its spot among the best exclusives for the platform. Additionally, while Sucker Punch was a respected studio prior for its work on the Sly Cooper and inFamous franchises on past PlayStation consoles, Ghost of Tsushima is what truly skyrocketed the team to blockbuster status. Now on the same pedestal as other PlayStation giants like Naughty Dog and Insomniac, all eyes were on the studio to see what it would deliver next.
While many players would like for Sucker Punch to revive the aforementioned Sly Cooper franchise or even bring Cole McGrath back for another electrifying adventure, it seems far more likely for Ghost of Tsushima 2 to be the focus. Considering the sales numbers and accolades of the first game, Sucker Punch will likely want to strike while the iron is hot and deliver another installment as quickly as possible in order to satisfy the appetites of players eager to return to feudal Japan.
Ghost of Tsushima 2's Missed Opportunity
Bearing all of that in mind, it seems strange to have not even seen so much as a samurai sword being unsheathed during the PlayStation showcase. To be fair, nothing was promised or even suggested by Sucker Punch, but this presentation seemed like the perfect time to show something. With so many eyes on the show, this was the perfect platform to even simply announce that the game was in development. Ghost of Tsushima launched in July 2020, and with the game now nearing three years since release, it seems safe to assume that a decent amount of progress has been made on the sequel.
Of course, if a gameplay demo simply wasn't in the right state to be shown off yet, then that is perfectly valid to not show Ghost of Tsushima 2 in action. However, a simple CG announce trailer would have more than sufficed to tease the story, tone, or world of the sequel. After all, CG reveal trailers were already present throughout the showcase, even from first party studios such as Haven's reveal of Fairgames, so its not like Sucker Punch would have been the outlier in this sense.
PlayStation fans will have to continue to be patient to see the next epic chapter of Jin Sakai's story in action. Sucker Punch is likely working on the project and is waiting for the right time to reveal it to the gaming public. The time will come eventually for the game to get the big splash it deserves, but in the meantime, it can't be overlooked just how strange it seems for the studio to have skipped on a potentially huge opportunity to spread the word about one of its upcoming games.
Ghost of Tsushima is available for PS4 and PS5.
