It has been almost six years since the release ofInfamous Second Son, meaningGhost of Tsushimahas been in some form of development at Sucker Punch Productions for just as long. More will be known at tomorrow’s Game Awards, possibly even a release date, but either wayGhost of Tsushimawill still hold the record for being the longest developed game in Sucker Punch Productions’ history. It has been in development for so long that the studio has had a PS4 launch window title inInfamous Second Sonand is now planning on releasing this new project ostensibly right before the launch of the PS5. The question is - should it wait for PS5?
Longer development cycles are the reality of the modern gaming industry. Unless certain solutions can be implemented efficiently in the next generation of gaming hardware, like streaming andSSD storage (which the PS5 and next Xboxare in fact using), then higher capacity tech will only bring longer development cycles. This was the case with PS4 projects.
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When Sucker Punch releasedInfamous Second Sonin early 2014 on PS4, fans and media wondered what its next title would be. Though nothing was set in stone or even implied, it was generally assumed that the studio would have its next project ready for the spotlight within at least the next three to four years. It would not be until October 2017 at Paris Games Week where Sony and Sucker Punch would finally revealGhost of Tsushima.
No release window was given, which was expected considering the studio had just become comfortable enough to release a reveal trailer at the time.Sucker Punch would then show off the game again at E3 2018where, again, no release window was given. Though fans were hoping for information on a release date at that time, it was generally expected that Sucker Punch was probably not going to give any updates considering its reluctance to discuss its release to begin with.
With Sucker Punch’s silence on the game’s release date information, it started to become clear thatGhost of Tsushimawas not as close to completion as was initially thought. Through 2019, the studio gave no updates on the title, waiting until December to finally show fans something new. Sony’s decision to skip E3 2019 gave Sucker Punch not only more time to develop the game (E3 trailers and demos take up precious studio resources), but also more time to build a trailer forDecember 2019’s State of Play and Game Awards.
After the announcement that Naughty Dog would bedelayingThe Last of Us Part 2,Ghost of Tsushima’srelease date then came into question. With the way Sony releases its exclusives on PlayStation, Sucker Punch’s newest title is more than likely going to release months after Naughty Dog’s to prevent the titles from cannibalizing each other’s sales. Similarly toThe Last of Us Part 2andDeath Stranding, Sony has also repeatedly confirmed thatGhost of Tsushimawill indeed release on PS4 (thoughDeath Strandingactually was released just last month, and with presumably a shorter development cycle).
Sony’s first party studios are no strangers to releasing iterations of blockbuster franchises in the months leading up to a new PlaySation launch. In fact, Sony’s Santa Monica Studio released its hit titleGod of War 2on PS2 in March 2007 just months after the PS3 launched in November 2006. Also, when the PS4 was set to launch in November 2013, Naughty Dog had just releasedThe Last of Usin June of that same year.
The important thing to note is that bothGod of War 2andThe Last of Uswere subsequently remastered and released on the next iteration of platforms that they had skipped. Additionally, both remasters went on to become even more successful than their original versions. This could point to a potentially similar future forGhost of Tsushima,as the title is more than likely going to release right before the PS5.
Although, with reports ofbackward compatibility becoming a feature on PS5, another route Sony could take would be to bundleGhost of Tsushimawith the new console following the months after its launch. Hopefully the PS5 can make PS4 games run better, but if the trailers are anything to go by, thenGhost of Tsushimais going to be just fine.
Ghost of Tsushimais currently in development for PS4.
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