Highlights

  • Rise of the Ronin's console exclusivity follows Team Ninja's trend, as seen with Nioh and Nioh 2 exclusive to PlayStation.
  • A Ghost of Tsushima DLC crossover with Rise of the Ronin would be a natural fit due to shared samurai action gameplay and Sony's publishing.
  • A potential Ghost of Tsushima sequel could be teased through a DLC crossover with Rise of the Ronin, keeping both games in the spotlight.

Though it might seem strange for Team Ninja to release its most ambitious game yet as a console exclusive, Rise of the Ronin's console exclusivity shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who's watched Team Ninja's trajectory over the last several years. Both Nioh and Nioh 2 were originally released as PlayStation-exclusive titles and still have not made their way to Xbox consoles, and Rise of the Ronin follows suit as a title specifically designed for Sony's hardware. Now that players are beginning to roll credits on Rise of the Ronin's vast open-world adventure, the question of future DLC content is beginning to arise and there are some clear frontrunners for crossover potential given Sony's publishing duties.

Fellow PlayStation-exclusive and first-party Sony title Ghost of Tsushima stood out as one of 2020's best titles, and the game's setting makes it an ideal fit for some kind of DLC crossover with Rise of the Ronin. Although both games take place in disparate eras of Japan's history, both Rise of the Ronin and Ghost of Tsushima are open-world samurai action games featuring a blend of precise melee combat and surprisingly satisfying stealth sections. With Sony having handled the publishing of both titles, a DLC crossover between the two can, and should, become a reality.

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Forms a Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of the Ronin DLC Crossover Could Take

Ghost of Tsushima and Rise of the Ronin share quite a lot in common, especially when it comes to each game's era-appropriate rendition of historical Japan. And even though combat in Rise of the Ronin can be slightly more challenging than that of Ghost of Tsushima, both titles strike a careful balance between melee and stealth to give players some freedom in how they approach encounters. With the similarities that are shared between each game, it would make perfect sense for Ghost of Tsushima to feature in a DLC crossover with Rise of the Ronin, and the form that could take has two obvious directions.

The first is the inclusion of iconic armor and weaponry from Ghost of Tsushima as DLC content for Rise of the Ronin. Sucker Punch's ability to design interesting-looking armor and weapons in Ghost of Tsushima made the act of customizing Jin's appearance an enjoyable task in and of itself, and Rise of the Ronin's transmog options mean players could obtain one of Ghost of Tsushima's iconic looks without sacrificing stats. The other, perhaps less likely, option could involve Rise of the Ronin's Veiled Edge faction showing up in 13th-century Japan to fight alongside Jin Sakai in his quest to repel the Mongol invasion and restore order.

Ghost of Tsushima DLC Crossovers Could Pique Interest Ahead of a Sequel

Ghost of Tsushima is already receiving a bit of a surge in popularity following the leak and then an official announcement of the game's PC port, and it seems like it's only a matter of time before Sony and Sucker Punch pull back the curtain on an official sequel.

As a means to drum up excitement for both a potential Ghost of Tsushima 2 and to help keep Rise of the Ronin on players' radars, a DLC crossover between the two seems like a no-brainer. With the similarities between both games being so apparent and Sony having rights to both properties, it seems like an ideal match between franchises.

Rise of the Ronin is at once familiar and different, borrowing several elements from well-known games but also bringing enough of Team Ninja's signature style and know-how to the table to present an experience that stands on its own merits. The game's most obvious inspiration is Sucker Punch's open-world samurai epic, and to bring the two games together makes sense from both a mechanical and lucrative perspective.