Ghost of Tsushima creators Sucker Punch, along with Naughty Dog, known for The Last of Us, were recognized as “masters at making games engaging,” even in their developmental phases, as articulated by former PlayStation head Shuhei Yoshida.
Having spent over 31 years with PlayStation before departing from Sony earlier this year, Yoshida held multiple prominent positions, including president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios and later as the head of indie development. His experience also included account management and producing, during which he offered extensive feedback to developers after experiencing their titles in preliminary versions.
In a visit with Game File, Yoshida was queried on whether he had encountered any titles during development stages that he instinctively felt would resonate with players. He reflected on his beginnings as a “producer of action platform games” at Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch, sharing: “In my mind, both Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch were the specialists in crafting enjoyable gaming experiences. The responsiveness, the character animations – every iteration, right from the outset, they ensure their games feel exceptional. That’s always been a joy for me to collaborate with these teams.”
Yoshida elaborated on this point: “A recent case was Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima (2020). Even from the early development phase, they consistently provided a playable version and made regular updates. Remarkably, it’s rather devoid of bugs! Not entirely free of issues, but you seldom encounter crashes. They continuously improve combat and various elements, yet it consistently feels fantastic.”
To Yoshida, “feeling great” signifies a state where “you completely forget that you’re holding a controller,” becoming so engrossed – particularly in third-person action titles – that “you actually feel like you embody the character performing extraordinary actions.” It’s fascinating to realize that titles like Ghost of Tsushima managed to cultivate such immersion at such early developmental points. This raises curiosity about whether Ghost of Yotei will achieve a similar feat, particularly with its release planned for later this year, as it certainly faces high expectations.
Don’t miss our compilation of upcoming PS5 games to discover what’s on the horizon for Sony’s next-generation console.