Ghost of Tsushima 2 – Where Is The Samurai Game Sequel?

Rumours and murmurings suggest that Ghost of Tsushima 2 will arrive in 2025, but will Sucker Punch decide to continue Jin Sakai’s bloodthirsty quest for vengeance in the upcoming sequel or tell a new story?

Is The Sequel To Ghost Of Tsushima Confirmed?

While there has not been an official announcement to confirm the Ghost of Tsushima sequel, after the success of the first game, Sony is unlikely to stop developing another instalment.

Fans who have kept their eyes open for any sign of a potential sequel started to get excited when they came across new job listings from the studio back in March of 2021. The ad called for a Technical Combat Designer, which isn’t much in and of itself. Still, when that was combined with the stipulation that any potential candidates “must have played Ghost of Tsushima and understand its core gameplay systems” and that they should be able to “deliver interesting and varied encounters in an open-world game, with a particular focus on melee combat and stealth”, many fans believed the studio was working on Ghost of Tsushima 2.

While all eyes remain fixated on news sites regarding an official announcement regarding Ghost of Tsushima 2, many industry experts believe we won’t get any news regarding the title in 2024. Gamers and critics believe that both Sucker Punch Productions and Sony Entertainment Entertainment Inc. might opt to prolong the title (or even any big reveal regarding the sequel) until 2025. Why? Well, the rationale behind this strategic delay lies within Sony’s overarching release strategy. With Assassin’s Creed: Codename Red on the way, it seems like PlayStation might just keep Ghost of Tsushima 2 for 2025 – especially since many big (and similar) titles are already releasing this year.

Will Jin Sakai Return?

We already know from previous Sucker Punch games (specifically with their Infamous series) that they are not afraid to kill off their main protagonist and introduce a new one. At this point, most players have explored the entirety of the island of Tsushima, and going through it once again with the same character could bring a sense of déjà vu, no matter what changes have actually been made to the island as a whole, making the sequel significantly less impactful than the original game.

If they decide to kill Jin and replace him with another character in Ghost of Tsushima 2, you can be sure that Sucker Punch Productions is going to do it in a way that will utterly destroy their players emotionally while still being a way to further their plot. It would be completely evil and something we desperately hope they don’t do.

Three Fan Theories About Ghost Of Tsushima 2’s Story

Since the credits first rolled at the end of Ghost of Tsushima, fans have been theorising about what could possibly happen in the next game. We’re hoping that a couple of them make it into the new game.

1. The Second Invasion of the Island of Tsushima

The Mongolians have invaded Japan twice in history. With the first invasion as the setting for the original title, it would only make sense for the second game to be set a couple of years later during the second Mongol invasion. Given that the second invasion was significantly more extensive and saw the Mongolian forces doing what they could to take on a united Japan (and warriors from China and Korea), this is the most likely course to be taken in Ghost of Tsushima 2. It would be an excellent opportunity for Sucker Punch to include larger-scaled battles and would provide a lot more enemies with different fighting styles for Jin to take out. Given that Jin was essentially exiled after the events of the last game, we will probably see him working on his own to save his homeland from invaders once again.

2. Mainland Japan Could Have a Large Role to Play

There is a very high chance that Ghost of Tsushima 2 could expand past the island of Tsushima and into the Japanese Mainland. With most of the island of Tsushima’s samurai killed, Jin will most likely have to travel to the mainland to win over the Shogun forces. Previously, the Shogun was only mentioned occasionally, and his forces were seen occasionally. With the new threat coming, he will have a much larger role and play a big part in whether or not Japan is victorious.

3. There is a Potential Student for Jin in the Cards

With the majority of Tsushima’s samurai dead and Jin being the last of his family, there is a chance we may get to see Jin train and interact with a successor, the same way his uncle trained him when he was young, though now with very different ideologies to what he was originally taught since the events of the first game.

Jin having a student will probably set up any future games or DLCs that Sucker Punch plans to introduce. It could be a great way to humanise him and bring back the teachings that Lord Shimura had taught him when he was a child while also furthering the story of the Sakai clan. The dynamic between the two will also give us more insight into the type of man Jin is. There could be a great contrast between Jin’s student and how he was, as a child, unable to save his father because of the fear he felt, showing us the lessons that Jin probably wished he had learned before.

9 Things We Want To See In Ghost Of Tsushima 2

1. An Open World Design

While Ghost of Tsushima has one of the most gorgeous open worlds, with locations specifically designed to be “the perfect photographer’s dream,” it’s not enough to keep the player’s attention until the end of the game. While there is plenty to do on the map, many side activities and different points of interest become repetitive after a while. Even petting foxes start to become less and less enjoyable.

Ghost of Tsushima 2 needs to move away from the traditional setup of open-world games. We have already seen what Sucker Punch is capable of through innovations of what were once more traditional game mechanics like guiding wind (Ghost of Tsushima‘s navigational mechanic). If they take some time to expand on that and revamp other mechanics to give players more variety as they travel across Tsushima Island, the gameplay will vastly improve.

2. Improve Random Encounters

While there were plenty of opportunities to stumble across a helpless civilian who was being terrorised by a group of Mongol invaders or a group of bandits who were hoping for an easy kill, it all starts to become a bit repetitive after a while.

One of the best games to look at for an idea of good random encounters is Red Dead Redemption 2. The encounters added more depth to the explorable environment, and every interaction with different inhabitants was unique. This would be a brilliant mechanic to introduce to a Ghost of Tsushima sequel, as it would make the world feel significantly less empty.

3. Additional Climbing Sections

Some of the most visually stunning areas of the game are only revealed when players have finished climbing up a winding mountain-side path to reach one of the many upgrade shrines along the map. The incredible views are an excellent treat for players travelling through the world. Incorporating even more climbing mechanics would strongly encourage further exploration of the map and provide players with more freedom of movement and a sense of control when claiming the structures and environments of the island of Tsushima.

4. Better Stealth Mechanics

While the game has stealth mechanics that players can use to their advantage, they leave much to be desired. The most basic stealth tropes that have come to be expected in many games like this were included and worked as they were supposed to, but that’s all there was. Sucker Punch didn’t put their own spin on the mechanics, and players were often left with a dampened experience when choosing to use stealth as their method of taking care of enemy bases. A better, improved, unique-to Ghost of Tsushima stealth mechanic needs to be introduced to the sequel, as well as an overall improvement to the occasionally inconsistent AI.

5. Multiplayer

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends introduces a co-op multiplayer experience into the game and is a fantastic addition that many players enjoy. It’s a great way to gain further experience in combat and work with your friends against the environment. However, fans would love it if an element of PvP was introduced to the game, allowing players to rather fight against their friends and show off their skills in combat.

Playing against other people is usually much less predictable than playing against AI. Having a cinematic samurai duel against real opponents is something players would have a lot of fun with. Even large-scale multiplayer battles or a stronghold raiding mechanic similar to the set pieces in the main game might be something Sucker Punch may want to consider integrating into their multiplayer environments.

6. Large Battles

Many players enjoyed the large-scale battles on the massive set piece the most fun. Still, unfortunately for them, the opportunity to experience those moments was far and few between, as most battles took place on a significantly smaller scale, or they would involve Jin doing his best to take out his enemies one at a time stealthily. Many fans agree that the frequency of large-scale battles needs to be dialled up a lot.

7. New Weapons

As much fun as it is wielding a katana and cutting down your enemies, it would be a lot of fun to see Jin wielding a wider range of weapons in Ghost of Tsushima 2. There are plenty of different samurai weapons, and while the katana is the most iconic, sometimes it’s just a lot more fun to go in with heavy weaponry and start bashing enemies over the head. Different weapons could introduce different gameplay options and perhaps even include specific stances for different types.

RELATED: It’s Time For A Samurai Jack Live-Action Movie

The good news is that Ghost of Tsushima fans will get to see more of the game and its world this December when Amazon Prime Video releases Secret Level, a “revolutionary gaming anthology series”. Jin Sakai is spotted in the first trailer. Blink and you’ll miss it.

What are you hoping to see in Ghost of Tsushima 2?