Sucker Punch Suggests It Will Stick with Making One Game at a Time After Ghost of Yotei
In a recent post-mortem interview with VideoGamesChronicle, Sucker Punch Productions’ Studio Head and Co-Founder Brian Fleming discussed the studio’s creative direction following the release of Ghost of Yotei, suggesting that the Bellevue-based developer will continue its long-standing philosophy of focusing on one project at a time.
“The truth is that whatever we do next, whether it’s continuing Ghost or going back to Sly, the decision is really more limited by, again, our cherishing of focus and time to iterate, which means that we really can only do one thing at a time,” Fleming said. “If we were good at juggling four projects, yeah, we’d have a remaster, and let’s go do one of those, and one of those, and do some fan request, that would be really popular… But we only get to do one thing. So it kind of has to be your best idea, right?”
Fleming went on to emphasize how selective the team must be when choosing their next project, acknowledging that these decisions happen roughly every five years and therefore carry enormous weight. “It’s not like there aren’t 15 good ideas. But you only get to do one. And by the way, you only get to do one about every five years. So that choice is really important,” he added.
The studio head also shed light on the internal and external pressures Sucker Punch faces when deciding on new projects. With the company reaching its 30th anniversary, generational shifts within the team are influencing creative direction. “We now have employees who are kids of former employees. We have employees who weren’t born when the studio was founded,” Fleming explained. “You also have had enough changes from Sly, to Infamous, to Ghost that part of those changes, when they happen, means you’re walking away from not just the worlds and actors, but also from employees who’ve been part of the studio for the last decade and may not want to do a game set in a historical setting.”
Despite many fans wishing for a revival of the Infamous franchise, it appears that the Ghost of series has become too monumental to step away from. Following the massive success of Ghost of Tsushima and now Ghost of Yotei, early sales estimates suggest the sequel is selling almost as fast as its predecessor. In addition, Sony, Sucker Punch’s parent company, has further expanded the Ghost universe with a live-action film directed by John Wick’s Chad Stahelski and an anime adaptation inspired by the multiplayer mode Legends.
With so many ongoing projects tied to Ghost, it seems likely that Sucker Punch will remain on “Ghost-making duty” for at least one more installment before revisiting any of its other beloved IPs.
For those interested, VideoGamesChronicle also recently published an interview with actor Feodor Chin, who portrayed the main antagonist Lord Saito in Ghost of Yotei.
What do you think Sucker Punch should do next - continue the Ghost saga or bring back Infamous? Share your thoughts below!
