PSX 2017: Sucker Punch on Ghost of Tsushima Story and Inspiration

Today at PSX 2017, Sucker Punch discussed its upcoming PlayStation 4 game Ghost of Tsushima.

During a panel, hosted by IGN’s Brian Altano, creative director Nate Fox, along with art director Jason Connell, animation director Billy Harper, and associate producer Ryuhei Katami shed light on the creation of the stunning reveal trailer that was shown in October at Paris Games Week.

Harper said he thinks the biggest challenge in crafting the trailer was “trying to find the voice of each character,” noting “one of the largest characters is the world.” Katami noted that they had a team in Japan who helped to make sure the trailer’s “representation is respective to the Japanese culture.”

As previously announced, Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world action game that takes place during the feudal period of Japan, when the Mongol Empire invades the island of Tsushima. As one of the last surviving samurai, players will attempt to fight back against the powerful onslaught.

With regard to why Sucker Punch decided to make a game set in feudal Japan rather than a new entry in the Infamous franchise, Fox said, “You do something for a long time, you want to try something different. It’s creatively satisfying to be freaked out.” Harper echoed his sentiment, saying, “This was definitely a risk, but one that was so worth taking because we get to write a love letter to one of our favorite genres.”

As far as the story, Connell said they’re taking an “inspired by” approach where the setting will serve as a “jumping off point” for Sucker Punch to tell its “own original story.” The studio took two trips to Japan to research the Tsushima. Check out some reference photos they took during their time in Japan in the gallery below:

At the end of the panel, Fox asked the crowd if they’d be interested in playing the game with Japanese dialog. After receiving affirming applause from those in attendance, Fox said, “Noted, thank you.”

While many details about the game are still shrouded in mystery, check out the clues we could gather about the game from its historic setting.

For more on this year’s fan-focused PlayStation event, which featured a bunch of new info about Dreams, check out our rundown of all the news and trailer from Sony’s PSX 2017 keynote.