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Sony fans and opponents infrequently agree.

However there's one complaint that has been voiced by both sides.

"Why are there so few games?"

Big-budget, single-player blockbusters from internal teams have long been the foundation to Sony's hardware popularity.

During the PlayStation 4 era, players enjoyed a steady stream of story-rich experiences, but the pace has appeared as a trickle since 2023's Spider-Man 2.

But, PlayStation's latest release – Ghost of Yōtei – represents a return to its established premium style.

Why Did It Take So Long?

The developer's newest offering is a sequel to the 2020 samurai-era adventure Ghost of Tsushima, which was the last high-profile PlayStation-only releases from Sony.

"Video games do take a significant period to develop, so it's no small portion of your career," explains the creative director.

Ghost of Yōtei relocates the story a hundreds of miles north, to the Honshū area, and the time period a few hundred years afterward, to the year 1603.

In this installment, the story centers on the protagonist Atsu, a woman fighter on a journey to obtain retribution against the six warlords – a group of leaders responsible for her family's death.

Building on a earlier release to build on, it's not a brand new start but, the director clarifies, the game is still a huge effort.

Simply introducing a new protagonist, for case, demands work from scriptwriters, animation artists and design artists, to name just a few of the roles participating.

Behind the scenes there are many, many more contributors.

A Vast Team Project

While the developer has about 200 staff at its studio near Seattle, hundreds more contribute to its projects.

The credits for Ghost of Tsushima, for instance, included approximately 1,800 people.

A number of these were from other countries, or from third-party firms that excel in specific technical areas.

"Developing a title requires various distinct skills, from incredibly technical experts... to people who are highly guided by narrative, like our writers," explains Fox.

"And all these groups function with synchronization. It's similar to conducting an symphony.

"You have to have every elements aligning."

The creative director says that a dizzying variety of components can go into a individual scene – from soundtrack to the software that makes leaves drift across the scene at a critical moment.

"All these teams must have a understanding of the overall direction," adds Nate.

A Change in Focus

Strategic vision is a quality fans have criticized PlayStation of lacking in recent times.

During its former leader, the former CEO, the division launched development on 12 live-service projects, known as "ongoing" experiences in the business.

Several of the most famous titles, such as Epic's battle royale, the user-generated game and the military shooter, retain fans hooked for months and generate substantial sums of revenue.

PlayStation has had positive results in the area with the previous year's Helldivers II, but an unsuccessful flop with another game, which was discontinued only 14 days after its debut.

The company has since cancelled live-service games inspired by several of its most popular franchises, including God of War and The Last of Us.

Pursuing the multiplayer sector is a approach Sony has acknowledged is not completely "going smoothly", but it's said some releases with multiplayer elements, such as Gran Turismo and MLB simulation MLB: The Show, have done nicely.

The stars of its recent marketing stream were an upcoming game, a successor to the earlier Returnal, and the eagerly awaited Marvel's Wolverine game from superhero developer Insomniac – each story-driven games.

Discussion and Examination

Major titles can frequently be centers for conflict, as Sucker Punch recently discovered when a developer's comment about the death of conservative American activist the individual prompted a backlash.

The company ultimately let go the individual responsible, and head the studio head stated that "glorifying or trivializing someone's murder is a deal-breaker for the company", when asked about it.

Certain right-wing entertainment commentators have furthermore targeted Ghost of Yōtei for starring a woman hero.

Nate explains it was an "atypical selection", but key to the narrative the team set out to share of an underdog resisting society's norms.

When the game progresses, the protagonist's legend as an supernatural being – a wrathful apparition seen in Japan's mythology – increases.

"People believe it's impossible this woman might have defeated members of the Yōtei Six unless she is a supernatural {creature|