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[LectureMaster]

Probably explained the six years gap between their games.

Sucker Punch Abandoned Two Titles Before Settling on Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima developer Brian Fleming has revealed that he scrapped two projects before finally starting work on Ghost of Tsushima.

tech4gamers.com

From the same interview video:

---

Ghost of Tsushima, which was released in 2020, is getting a sequel this year. But, as it turns out the action-adventure title was almost never made as the developer was looking at other options before settling on the game.

While talking to Nicolas Doucet, Ghost of Tsushima developer Brian Fleming revealed that he scrapped two projects before finally starting work on Ghost of Tsushima. In a video posted by Sony, Fleming says that Sucker Punch abandoned two ideas before settling on the feudal Japan setting.

"The game we were making initially wasn’t Ghost Of Tshusima and that game wasn’t going very well."

The developer revealed that the first project wasn’t going very well so he went to Sony and asked to try again. However, the second attempt was also a failure because the team did not have a clear fantasy set for the character.

The Ghost of Tsushima creator went into more detail about the abandoned project, saying it was about a magic vigilante who was going to be the heir to a throne and that Sucker Punch did not know how to convey that story to players.

On the other hand, the premise of Ghost of Tsushima was easy to grasp, according to Fleming, as everyone knows what it means to be a samurai in Japan. And, it was probably a good idea considering the cultural impact the title has had.

 

[touchfuzzy]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

 

[Gojiira]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

Hope they pick that up again one day

 

[LectureMaster]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

Wow this is much polished than I thought, a bit of Dishonored vibe.

 

[yogaflame]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

See you on Ps6

 

[viveks86]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

Whoa! I had no idea this was leaked. Interesting! Looks like a lot of work went into it.

 

[VinnyMac]

Hope they pick that up again one day

looks so much more interesting than ghost honestly

 

[analog_future]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

And instead now they're stuck working on the same IP for 10 years.

 

[Shadowstar39]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

This looks awesome. Wtf.. I mean got was great, but I would love to try this out too. It has a midevel fantasy mixed with real world vibe. And a grounded look that modern titles (outside of stalker 2 and kcd2) are lacking.
I see no pink, purple and woke here either ( i am assuming this was 2013/14 or so after infamous 2nd son came out.

How did they not have the story beats done before production? You would think a design doc would have all that fleshed out before hand. I can think of a number of stories about that character, just based on the premise. It could go anywhere, the sky is the limit, all you need is a competent author who isn't politically captured.

Also why are these Sony studios, only working on one game at a time. Insomniac before first party, used to make ratchet, and resistance with 2 teams. Why is this not done. Have the art department working on the other game after the art is done for the first, or divy it up. It would sovle these long lags between games and let new ideas come through.
Instead we get 15 years of tlou, got, gow, etc.... boring.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

I want this game!

Do it, Do it after Yotei.

 

[nial]

And instead now they're stuck working on the same IP for 10 years.

Weird drive-by post, they would have been ""stuck"" working on the Prophecy IP for 10 years had they gone with it and follow it up with a sequel as well.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Weird drive-by post, they would have been ""stuck"" working on the Prophecy IP for 10 years had they gone with it and follow it up with a sequel as well.

No, no, silly. Nobody makes sequels to highly successful games.

 

[Loomy]

looks so much more interesting than ghost honestly

If GoT was the game they cancelled to make this, we'd be saying the same thing about a leaked GoT vertical slice. The thing that almost was is always more alluring than the thing we have.

And instead now they're stuck working on the same IP for 10 years.

Had they made this instead, they'd be stuck working it for 10 years. Either way, an IP gets big, they want sequels. If it wasn't GoT, it would have been this.

How did they not have the story beats done before production? You would think a design doc would have all that fleshed out before hand.

Typically, at the beginning, you have a general concept and a gameplay prototype is made from that while writers put together a story/script, and artists/designers do their thing. Sometimes that gameplay prototype is made using assets from a prior project. That way you can validate some gameplay stuff early.

This was interesting back in the day because you could see bits of pieces of where they iterated on InFamous mechanics, and now in 2025 we can see where the early versions of some GoT mechanics were tested.

 

[analog_future]

Weird drive-by post, they would have been ""stuck"" working on the Prophecy IP for 10 years had they gone with it and follow it up with a sequel as well.

I guess that's my point. It's too bad that virtually every Playstation studio is stuck playing it safe at this point. Sony Santa Monica with God of War, Sucker Punch with Ghost of Tsushima, Insomniac with Marvel/Ratchet & Clank, Guerilla Games with Horizon, etc.. etc..

If the PS4 generation was full of new IP and new risks from first party, the PS5 generation has been the opposite so far. Hopefully Intergalactic and Cory Barlog's rumored new IP change that.

 

[mdkirby]

Whilst I’m looking forward to ghost of yotei, that game looks much more interesting

 

[Boss Mog]

Glad they ended up going with Ghost of Tsushima, shame about the "sequel" though.

 

[nial]

I guess that's my point. It's too bad that virtually every Playstation studio is stuck playing it safe at this point. Sony Santa Monica with God of War, Sucker Punch with Ghost of Tsushima, Insomniac with Marvel/Ratchet & Clank, Guerilla Games with Horizon, etc.. etc..

If the PS4 generation was full of new IP and new risks from first party, the PS5 generation has been the opposite so far. Hopefully Intergalactic and Cory Barlog's rumored new IP change that.

I mean? Both Guerrilla and Sucker Punch started the gen by making more Killzone and Infamous, Naughty Dog made more Uncharted and The Last of Us. Guerrilla pivoted ""quickly"" to a new IP, but Sucker Punch had its own sake of issues that caused them to have nothing until 5 months prior to the launch of the PS5 with Ghost of Tsushima.
Long development cycles suck and all, but it's the way things are, and blaming them for wanting to follow up a highly successful game -that didn't even release that long ago!- is, IMO, very unfair.

 

[Chuck Berry]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

Would've much preferred this over Tsushima. Artistically its just much more up my alley.

 

[Shadowstar39]

Would've much preferred this over Tsushima. Artistically its just much more up my alley.

Rewatching it, i am honestly blown away by how awesome that city looks for prototype gameplay. Its got a unique vibe. Very grounded, looks steampunky mixed with medieval vibe. The main character has a mad max style loaner persona. I really hope they go back to this one day, although i doubt it.

 

[Chuck Berry]

Rewatching it, i am honestly blown away by how awesome that city looks for prototype gameplay. Its got a unique vibe. Very grounded, looks steampunky mixed with medieval vibe. The main character has a mad max style loaner persona. I really hope they go back to this one day, although i doubt it.

It gave me Order 1886 vibes with the city design. Another game (sequel) that could've been.

Now I'm depressed.

 

[ProtoByte]

Six years between Second Son, 2 cancelled projects and ultimately Ghost of Tsushima, and more than 5 between Tsushima and Yotei...

 

[K' Dash]

As shallow as Second Son was I had more fun playing that than Ghost of Bore me to tears.

 

[Insanemaelstrom]

Six years between Second Son, 2 cancelled projects and ultimately Ghost of Tsushima, and more than 5 between Tsushima and Yotei...

Hopefully the additional years means that they have greatly expanded upon the concept with ghost of yotei, far more detailed world, more varied missions, more variety in content, better story, better gameplay, more details, etc.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Six years between Second Son, 2 cancelled projects and ultimately Ghost of Tsushima, and more than 5 between Tsushima and Yotei...

We also had a global pandemic that screwed up pipelines for at least a year or two for everyone. I bet Yotei would have been out last year, otherwise. Either way, GoT launched in July 2020, I assume Yotei will launch in the same placement this year.

 

[FrankWza]

As shallow as Second Son was I had more fun playing that than Ghost of Bore me to tears.

Subliminal Arrogant Sony post?

 

[Chuck Berry]

As shallow as Second Son was I had more fun playing that than Ghost of Bore me to tears.

Same here. Actually likable characters, cooler story and an absolute killer soundtrack.

Still holds up too. A little repetitive, but it runs like a dream on the 5 and it's just the right size world map where it doesn't outstay its welcome.

 

[ProtoByte]

Hopefully the additional years means that they have greatly expanded upon the concept with ghost of yotei, far more detailed world, more varied missions, more variety in content, better story, better gameplay, more details, etc.

We shall see. I've been disappointed before with this by better Sony studios.

We also had a global pandemic that screwed up pipelines for at least a year or two for everyone. I bet Yotei would have been out last year, otherwise. Either way, GoT launched in July 2020, I assume Yotei will launch in the same placement this year.

When the pandemic was happening and they started WFH, granted not immediately, devs swore up and down that it was actually more efficient.

Whether or not I like it, the game will take however long it takes. But we've just got done deservedly critiquing Avowed for being stagnant at best and a step backwards at worst for Obsidian. Pandemic or not, Yotei better be a tangible step up.

 

[DeepEnigma]

When the pandemic was happening and they started WFH, granted not immediately, devs swore up and down that it was actually more efficient.

They are FoS about it being more efficient. Especially in game development.

We've seen the side-effects of far less polish on launch, unless they're afforded extra delay time.

 

[semiconscious]

looks so much more interesting than ghost honestly

I'd say that it's sorta tough to come up with a game concept that isn't more interesting than ghost...

 

[mayham2199]

As shallow as Second Son was I had more fun playing that than Ghost of Bore me to tears.

I really liked both games. As far as which is better hhhmm I don't know. The end of Ghost was probably one of the best things I've seen in a video game so I give it to Ghost. "You have no honor." "and you are a slave to it.". Shit gave me chills.

 

[DiscoDave]

Infamous was very average and ghosts was good, but now we get fucking Karen of Yotei.

 

[Gojiira]

looks so much more interesting than ghost honestly

This I dont agree with. GoT was fantastic, and there are few actual Samurai games and even less that are third person action games.
I just want them to eventually return to something more fantastical.

 

[Icymanipulator]

So glad with went with Ghost, those other games don’t sound interesting at all.

 

[Clear]

Just another example of how common -and advanced- cancelled projects are.

Corporate dev is basically an iceberg, the published stuff is the work that's above the surface of the water. The unpublished, the cancelled, the prototyped is the far greater mass underneath the waves.

Projects getting canned, despite what the clueless hacks in the media make out, is the destiny of the majority of stuff. Pitching, prototyping and proving a concept is HARD, you have to translate YOUR belief as devs into a package that management can buy into with confidence. So, if you yourself are unsure... you've got major problems.
Its also why when projects are handed to you, top-down, the results can be iffy because its hard to realize someone elses vision when in truth its really not thought through to anyone near the level of granularity required to make it an actual good gaming experience.

All the while you are under a ticking clock where the suits are not under any obligation to fund you indefinitely while you find your way "into" the right approach.

If you understand this, then you can grasp why being handed a known IP or long-running franchise is so appealing. You don't need to think again, you just iterate in a position of relative security. Same deal with styles that are known to be popular and successful like GaaS.

Its about reaching a place of security in an industry where almost everyone is considered expendable.

This is not new by the way, its been like this for well over 20 years. And in that time stakes and the stress that comes with it have only gotten higher and more intense.

 

[adamsapple]

Yep we had that big leaked vertical slice from a few years ago that looks like the magic vigilante one.

Would have liked them to do more with this than another Ghost of .. game, personally.