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PS5 supporters and detractors infrequently see eye to eye.

Yet a single grievance that has been voiced by both sides.

"Why are there so few games?"

High-cost, story-driven major releases from in-house teams have traditionally been the cornerstone to the company's gaming success.

In the PlayStation 4 days, fans had a consistent flow of story-rich adventures, but the pace has felt more like a trickle since the release of Spider-Man 2.

However, PlayStation's most recent game – Ghost of Yōtei – represents a reversion to its successful triple-A format.

The Reason for So Long?

Sucker Punch's latest project is a successor to the 2020 samurai-era title Ghost of Tsushima, among the last big PlayStation-only releases from Sony.

"Titles need a long time to make, so it's a major part of your time," explains the creative director.

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

This time, the story centers on a character named Atsu, a heroine on a quest to obtain vengeance against the Yōtei Six – a band of warlords to blame for her family's demise.

Using a previous game to build on, it's not a brand new foundation but, Nate explains, the undertaking is nonetheless a enormous effort.

Just creating a new protagonist, for instance, demands contribution from writers, animators and concept artists, to name just a few of the roles required.

Internally there are countless others team members.

An Enormous Team Effort

Although the developer has about 200 team members at its headquarters near the Seattle area, numerous others contribute to its projects.

The list of contributors for Ghost of Tsushima, for example, included about 1,800 names.

Some of them will be from abroad, or from third-party companies that specialise in specific technical areas.

"Creating a title calls for various diverse abilities, from incredibly technical people... to those who are extremely focused on feelings, like our writing staff," says Nate.

"And the various departments function with co-ordination. It's like conducting an symphony.

"We have to have every components aligning."

Nate says that a overwhelming array of components can go into a single sequence – from soundtrack to the code that makes leaves drift over the screen at a pivotal point.

"All these teams need to have a understanding of where they're going," concludes the director.

A Shift in Strategy

Clear leadership is a quality the community have criticized Sony of not having in the last few years.

During its former head, the ex-executive, the division launched production on twelve online multiplayer projects, known as "live-service" titles in the business.

Several of the most famous games, such as Epic's battle royale, the sandbox platform and Call of Duty, maintain fans engaged for long periods and generate substantial amounts of money.

PlayStation has had a hit in the area with the recent Helldivers II, but one unsuccessful flop with a certain title, which was shut down just 14 days after its release.

It has afterward cancelled online titles using several of its biggest series, like God of War and The Last of Us.

Targeting the multiplayer arena is a plan Sony has stated is not entirely "going smoothly", but it's explained a few releases with connected elements, such as Gran Turismo and MLB simulation MLB: The Show, have been successful.

The highlights of its recent showcase stream were a new title, a successor to the earlier Returnal, and the highly anticipated the mutant hero title from Spider-Man maker Insomniac – the two single-player experiences.

Controversy and Examination

High-profile games can also be centers for controversy, as the studio not long ago experienced when a staff member's comment about the death of political US activist Charlie Kirk prompted a backlash.

The studio ultimately dismissed the employee at the center, and head the studio head commented that "glorifying or joking about an individual's death is a red line for us", when asked about it.

Some right-wing video game personalities have additionally criticized Ghost of Yōtei for starring a heroine.

Fox explains it was an "atypical selection", but essential to the story the creators aimed to tell of an outsider defying traditional conventions.

When the game progresses, the protagonist's reputation as an Onryō – a wrathful apparition featured in Japan's tradition – increases.

"The public assume it's impossible a female might have defeated figures of the the group without she is a mythical {creature|