Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tsushima has seen a significant increase in active player numbers since its sequel, Ghost of Yōtei, was announced at the end of last month.
The action-adventure game, set during the first Mongol invasion of Japan in the 13th Century, saw a 53.7% increase in active players. The data, collated by True Trophies, shows that this is across both the original PlayStation 4 release and the PlayStation 5 Director’s Cut.
To date, Ghost of Tsushima has sold over 13 million units.
Ghost of Yōtei, a sequel set over 300 years after the first game, was unveiled at PlayStation’s State of Play presentation on 24th September 2024. Following the announcement, Ghost of Tsushima went from #35 to #26 on True Trophies’ weekly PlayStation Chart.
Furthermore, the Director’s Cut on PC doubled its concurrent player count in the week following the Ghost of Yōtei announcement, according to SteamDB.
Released in 2020, Ghost of Tsushima follows a samurai named Jin Sakai, who is tasked with defending Tsushima Island. Sakai faces a dilemma between upholding the samurai code or using underhand and dishonourable tactics to repel the Mongol invaders with as little collateral damage as possible.
The game was nominated in eight categories at The Game Awards 2020, winning two. Ghost of Tsushima was also recognised by the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. In 2021, Deadline reported that a film adaptation is in development, with John Wick‘s Chad Stahelski currently set to direct.
Ghost of Yōtei is set in 1603 in Hokkaido. Players will control a female warrior named Atsu, voiced by Apex Legends‘ Erika Ishii. Atsu assumes the persona of “The Ghost” and the game will reportedly allow players to use firearms as well as more conventional samurai weapons.
Following the sequel’s announcement, Ishii has already faced aggressive backlash from players of the previous game. The actor, whose other credits include Mortal Kombat I and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, has taken to blocking a number of accounts in light of the harassment.
Ghost of Yōtei will be released on PlayStation 5 next year.
Words by James Hanton
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