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Sony fans and critics rarely see eye to eye.

However one particular complaint which has been voiced by everyone.

"What happened to the games?"

Big-budget, story-driven hits from in-house developers have historically been the foundation to Sony's hardware success.

Throughout the last generation era, players received a consistent flow of cinematic games, but the pace has seemed more like a drip since last year's Spider-Man 2.

But, PlayStation's latest game – Ghost of Yōtei – signals a return to its established triple-A format.

Why Did It Take So Long?

Sucker Punch's newest offering is a sequel to 2020's samurai-era title Ghost of Tsushima, one of the last high-profile console-exclusive titles from Sony.

"Games need a considerable duration to create, so it's no small portion of your time," explains the creative director.

Ghost of Yōtei transfers the setting a few hundred miles north, to the Honshū region location, and the setting a few hundred years forward, to the year 1603.

Now, the plot centers on the protagonist Atsu, a woman fighter on a mission to exact vengeance against the six warlords – a faction of rulers accountable for her clan's death.

Using a earlier release to build on, it's not quite a completely fresh beginning but, the director clarifies, the game is nevertheless a huge undertaking.

Just having a fresh protagonist, for instance, requires contribution from authors, character animators and concept artists, to name just a few of the positions involved.

Internally there are many, many more contributors.

A Vast Team Undertaking

While the studio has roughly two hundred team members at its base near the Seattle area, numerous others work on its games.

The credits for Ghost of Tsushima, for example, contained approximately over 1,800 people.

Some of them were from other countries, or from third-party firms that specialise in specific specialized fields.

"Developing a game demands a wide range of distinct abilities, from highly technical individuals... to people who are highly focused on narrative, like our writing staff," explains Nate.

"Furthermore all these groups function with harmony. It's similar to leading an ensemble.

"We need to have all of the components working in unison."

Nate notes that a overwhelming number of factors can be part of a individual scene – from soundtrack to the programming that makes foliage float across the scene at a critical moment.

"All these teams have to have a sense of the overall direction," adds the director.

A Change in Focus

Clear leadership is something players have accused PlayStation of not having in recent times.

With its prior leader, Jim Ryan, the company initiated work on a dozen multiplayer projects, called "live-service" titles in the industry.

A few of the most famous examples, such as Fortnite, the user-generated game and the military shooter, maintain fans engaged for extended durations and generate huge amounts of income.

PlayStation has had positive results in the area with the recent Helldivers II, but one catastrophic failure with a certain title, which was discontinued merely 14 days after its release.

Sony has since halted online games using a number of its biggest IPs, like God of War and The Last of Us.

Pursuing the multiplayer arena is a strategy PlayStation has acknowledged is not completely "progressing well", but it's explained a few games with connected features, such as the driving simulator and sports simulation MLB: The Show, have performed well.

The highlights of its recent promotional stream were an upcoming game, a follow-up to the earlier Returnal, and the long-awaited Marvel's Wolverine game from superhero studio Insomniac – each story-driven experiences.

Discussion and Examination

High-profile titles can often be magnets for controversy, as Sucker Punch not long ago experienced when a staff member's comment about the demise of right-wing US figure a public figure triggered a backlash.

The studio finally let go the staff member involved, and founder Brian Fleming commented that "applauding or making light of a person's murder is a red line for the team", when interviewed about it.

Certain right-wing gaming commentators have additionally attacked Ghost of Yōtei for including a female protagonist.

The director notes it was an "unusual selection", but essential to the tale the creators aimed to tell of an unlikely hero resisting cultural expectations.

As the story progresses, the protagonist's legend as an Onryō – a vengeful entity found in Eastern folklore – grows.

"People think it's impossible a female might have eliminated members of the Yōtei Six without she is a supernatural {creature|