PS5's Ghost of Yotei Triggers Social Media, Ex-Sony Exec Says 'If You Don't Like It, Don't Buy It'

Bet they weren’t complaining about stellar blade having a “girlboss”.

And yes I realise it isn’t a “gender swap” situation as SB was a new IP, but neither is this! It’s a completely new character and storyline. His argument is ridiculous.

I really don’t understand people. I, for one, am excited for this new protagonist. I have a feeling there are going to be story elements that relate to Jin in some way—blood relation, or what-have-you, but I’m fine with the approach. There is nothing wrong with female leads, and those that believe so must be very insecure with themselves.

I haven't seen anyone complaining that you'll be playing as a chick. Only saw people complain about Jin not being the main character anymore. I can't wait for this game. I feel like the world is actually the main character, really beautiful and immersive.

I love that we have a new protagonist and that we are exploring a different part of Japan can’t wait to play this next year

It’s baffling that anybody would be surprised that they aren’t doing more Jin. The first game was set in a specific semi-historical event, so you would have to try and just make crap up to have more of him. It makes the most sense to use a different time period.

I'm with him on this one.

Let SP cook, and sit down.

Looking at this is making me think that maybe maybe some of the whole Assassins Creed Shadows drama was more so because the game didn't have a male Japanese protagonist

Well, not to pretend to be blind, there are lots of this female characters forced in in places that are obviously just to do that. And it is annoying.
But the there are case where there is a different story and not such issue. This is not Jin's story. This is another one. I am happy they left him behind since now it will remain one of the greatest games and will not be ruined by stupid sequal.
When you replace a character due to political reasons is crap. Cough Ariel cough. We saw how well that did 🤣

I'm personally excited about the new protagonist and her new fighting styles it seems. Also it takes place during my favorite era in history(Sengoku Era) so I'm curious what the story will be and what Historical Figures we might see.

Having a "Girlboss" isn't a bad thing at all(If they actually develop the character). Eve in Stellar Blade was a badass and I assume that the woman in this game will be a badass too. I trust Sucker Punch.

Some people just need to go outside instead of hating.

Ah shiiiit, here we go again. 😅

Even if I agree with Shawn Layden I think this is the kind of trolls that you shouldnt feed, this kind of answers is what they hope for to continue their narrative.

@jrt87 ***** absolutely. I got the exact same goosebumps and excitements as I did when they first revealed Ghost of Tsushima.

Can't wait to dress Atsu as my female ronin with her legendary tosei gusoku while doing a blade dance with her Niten Ichi-ryū combat style.

Let's ***** go!!

"So sick of the forced girlboss narrative man"

Ironically, it's also just been announced that Girlboss Narrative Man is being replaced by a female character in the remake. This guy is going to be furious.

I guess the small amount of people complaining about a female lead won't be playing GTA6 next year, right???

@QiaraIris second that. Not being facetious here, but for many games in Assassins Creed it was totally cool to experience new leads, as we got to experience such different worlds from pirates to pyramid surfing to pope assassinations; i have just started GoT for my first playthrough, and even though it took me about 10h to click, i am so comfortable in the world, growing the legend of the ghost. Great games will always be great games, haters be damned.

I don't have an issue with controlling a female character. What I feel is that jin's story is unfinished. Like starting a new story but then scrapping it and stopping less than halfway through. Jin only really beginning after the ending of the first game . It's just a weird strategy . I probably won't buy it straight away

If a female protagonist is enough to make you swear off a game you've been wanting for years, you're a loser. You just are.

It's really hard to imagine Jin won't be a part of the new game in some way. He created a legacy that continued on for literal centuries, that's the biggest praise you could give a character.

I'll miss Jin, but I understand his story had a complete arc.

The people that are complaining are terminally online. The general public won't care as long as the product is good.

@jrt87 if this poll is any indication, it doesn't appear to be the case.

@Dragon83 I'm genuinely curious about this. I Plat'd GOT and its expansion Iki Island.

Jin's story was completed with a very satisfying conclusion and all the dots checked. SP told his story and ended where it should be without any unnecessary padding. That's the consensus for the GOT as far as I can tell.

Where do you think it's incomplete and where should it go?

Jins story is done. I like being able to play as a female main character and I’m excited for this one.

If this is a problem for you then man, I can't even fathom how much of a pathetic loser you are.

Nooooooo @get2sammyb you're going to bring them all here now with this article. The comments were overwhelmingly of excitement for the new game 😅

I'll miss Jin, but I think this looks really cool. And the setting looks to be an upgrade and one that will resonate with even more people

@get2sammyb definitely don't deny that, there's always people complaining. They even complained about deacon being white in days gone lol

@Americansamurai1 Yeah I haven't seen that either tbh. Just complaints of WHERE IS JIN and like that.

jin’s story was over after iki. The only thing I want is to still have hotsprings in this game. I want equality in seeing female butt this time (after looking at Jin’s butt for so many times).

I'll miss Jin, and I was very excited to see where his story would go being hunted by the Shogun. And yet, I am so pumped for this game. I don't think Atsu is a samurai as much as she is ronin. Playing as a ronin is going to be dope as hell. Bring on the hot springs

I love my badass female characters in games and this one isn't any different. The tweet just looks like the guy genuinely hates females in games even though we've had it for a long time now with Lara, Ada Wong, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Ellie, Tifa Lockhart, Aerith, Eve, Samus, and way more. I'm all for hating on stuff like Sweet Baby Inc but this tweet isn't it at all.

@Americansamurai1

Gruff white male you mean? Yeah, it also goes the other way around.

These losers need to get laid and chill out. Jesus Christ...

Watching something like Blue Eye Samurai, Kill Bill, or Lady Snowblind probably triggers mental breakdowns for them.

Grow up, d**khead.

@Ludacritz Indeed, bring on the hotsprings. I don’t understand people opposing to playing a female lead (better to look at imo)

@Sequel Dude it never sold because it was utterly broken for PC players and I don't even think it is to this day.

@Medic_alert Imagine the character arc. The inner turmoil, the confliction. He resents the fact that he is a man and yet he also despises the powerful female character that he knows he should be. It'll win Oscars and the internet won't know whether it loves it or hates it.

@Loamy The first game had quite a few compelling female characters. Outside of Jin, Lady Adachi was the most interesting character in the game IMO. I'm all in if Atsu is even one-half as well-written as she was.

@QiaraIris, fair, I've actually not playedcthe dlc . So I can't really comment on that, just off playing the normal game.

for the most part 99% of the comments on here that i saw were pretty hyped up for this announcement. there was so much hype i feel like it drowned out any negative comments. like the guy in the tweet said if you don't like it , then you can just skip this game. but it feels like a lot of people are already excited. i'm already tempted to jump back into the first game and replay it again.

Ghost of Tsushima wasn't "a game based on masculinity," it was a game based on humanity. The various characters' perspectives based on personal morality and duty vs pragmatism, and how past experiences and trauma shape you.

If this guy played GoT and thought it was all about being a man, he's emotionally and intellectually disabled, stuck at age 11 for his entire life.

While I'm happy people in noticable standings are speaking up against those grifter freaks, I feel like this isn't Shawn Layden's place to speak on this, cuz now said freaks are gonna throw his words in Sucker Punch's face when GoY's has even a slight sign of failure, which they don't deserve.

@jrt87
Because such comments gets tons of click and engagement. I'm sure the comments will be flooded here compared to other articles.

I like the reply, a very pc way of saying on your bike, and I'm glad they did, these sack pain keyboard warriors and their " opinions"

Let Sucker Punch cook and then you say whatever is your piece.
Also, from what I've read Yotei is a spin-off not a sequel, you'll still get Jin back at some point on the unavoidable GoT2.

@ATaco True. You could have an article announcing a new amazing indie game with 2 comments, then an article like this which is basically "look at this tweet by a man who hasn't changed his underwear in 4 months" and it gets flooded with replies. And I'm part of the problem, argh.

What isn’t a controversy these days? Anyway, it’s a very interesting direction and, if done right, could really add to Jin’s mythos as the Ghost.

Jin's story was over. Narratively and thematically I don't even know where they would go with him.

I have no problem with a new protagonist or it being a woman. All I care about is whether Yötei is a better open world game. I adored GoT by the end, but it through and through an open world game by the Ubisoft book with Sucker Punch's flair. I want to see honest evolution of the genre. This is the exact reason I never finished Forbidden West: too big, too much of the same.

@Sanquine yeah haters gonna hate

@Medic_alert It's going to bring about the end times. I am excited and appalled.

Though I'm a bit disappointed not to play any further adventures of Jin, I can't wait to play this new game. I trust SP to really push on from the first game and give us something extraordinary.

That goes to all you weirdos on this site that complain or scream woke once a character is female, black, doesn't look like a model or anything that isn't white, male and straight.

Who's going to tell him women help make the games he plays.......

If you played Ghost of Tsushima, one of the characters (though not a playable character) was a female archer you had as a companion on some missions. Did they have problems with her? No?? Why not, when she seemed overpowered (despite being both female and old, as I recall)?

Yes, there's a chance the game could go over the top with woke nonsense - but just having a female main character isn't woke nonsense, even if that character is supposed to be faster and stronger than the average man. At least let them finish the game and read a review before you condemn something you know almost nothing about.

I'd like to play more as the character I know, but honestly, I'm more interested in playing in the environment they built than as any specific character. I'll almost certainly be buying this one (pending reviews).

I wish the Q-anon section of the gaming community would just f off to the furthest reaches of the dark web. Why do we keep reporting on these incels? We all know they're out there.

"If you don't like it try and make one yourself" is the most childish argument of all.

One does not need to have a director's diploma to say Marvel movies suck.

“New game features woman, white male gamers lose their minds” is about as reliable as the sun rising each morning. It’s amazing how entitled they feel for people so insecure.

These chuds really are snowflakes, aren't they?

I don't get idiots who complain about this stuff, personally I can't wait to play it.

Anyone that bothered by a woman existing in a protagonist role needs to reevaluated their life.

Was it "woke" when Lara Croft hit the scene? Was is "woke" when Metroid revealed Samus was a woman? Was it "woke" when Chun Li or Sonya existed in their respective fighting games?

Bloodrayne anyone?

I'm sorry but this outrage is f****** ridiculous. Actually go get some fresh air and think about how stupid yall sound to the rest of society.

At some point it should become a websites duty to not give these tweet’s reposts/screen grabs whatever and make articles on them.

Stop giving them airtime and a bigger platform. Nothing good ever comes of it.

It isn’t news, it isn’t helpful, it’s best to leave them ignored where their thoughts aren’t shared, because they aren’t reading these comments.

They act like they aren't sexist yet get like this everytime with a female lead unless the woman looks like a fake anime doll like Eve. Kinda funny really because Jin was surrounded by powerful women and only got where he headed because of them.

Overall these loses have really exposed themselves with this one. Also they're harassing and attacking the voice actress because she's genderfluid and heavily supports the LGBTQ+ comminity.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner

But PushSquare needs clicks and traffic!

Social Media....

I really don't get people who complain about games having a female protagonist. I loved Ghost of Tsushima back when I played it on ps4 and the ps5 remaster and had a great time playing it. Looking forward to Yotei next year

I don't have a problem with the protagonist being female, but I predict this will be the last Ghost game. Because it won't sell truck loads like the first one.

Agreed. Everyone has to whine about a game now (and it's usually something to dehumanize others at that). Oh no there are women in it, Oh no we can't see breasts, oh no the girls aren't 14 years old in game, Oh no this woman character doesn't look like solo fun time material, Oh no the women can fight.

Seriously cavedude stuff. Just pick a game you like and buy it (and also go outside and touch grass). Not everything is made for you. I skip TONS of games due to disinterest. Still have more to play, than I can finish in a lifetime.

Either way, I am super excited for this game and will be preordering asap (hoping for a CE). Sony will likely get two sales out of me if they make a PC version.

Personally I couldn’t give a **** if the main character is male or female - as long as the game is good, that’s all that matters 🤷🏻‍♂️

@Leonhart
But there is no Ghost of Tsushima remaster...

The only issue I take with this new game is that the new location, "Yotei" doesn't roll off the tongue as well as Tsushima does. Other than that, let's ******* go! Looks great!

Battlefield V discovered that ''don't like it, don't buy it'' is an incredibly dangerous threat.

Thanks for the daily reminder on how much of a mental asylum the internet (Twitter) is but on that note, "I'm interested but want to learn more"...because I need to complete the first one.

@EfYI If somebody wants me dead because of my sexuality, I think I’m entitled to call them names. Etiquette checking is how we slide into fascism.

I will definitely miss jin sakai.but i will try this.word up son

@Chupa_loyzer i guess it doesn't count as a remaster but they did release a native ps5 version for a 10$ upgrade which i had no issues with.

Is Endymion, the twitter screenshot, somebody in the industry or just a rando on the internet? If he isn't someone in the industry then writing an article using him as an example is just as sad as the whining over "girlboss" games. Just feeding the hysteria surrounding the yay and nay sayers.

@Chupa_loyzer how ironic. His argument was never "if you're not a game developer, you can't judge a game". You can judge all you want, but if you don't like it, you can simply not buy it or buy something else. And if you can't find something else you like, then your only option is to make it yourself.

@playstation1995 Word up.

@LifeGirl whereas plenty of others discovered that wasn't the case.

I mean it is pretty obvious the whole putting woman in leads for everything is pretty forced ...it more annoys me though when they replace already established characters who have always been male ...so does it bother me here? No not really ..If I got to pick would I prefer to play as a guy...yeah I would..but meh not that fussed

I thought chuds wrote Sony off after TLOU Part II?

Also, those complainers seem to not know that there were women samurai and other warriors in feudal Japan, but since it doesn’t fit their view, it’s bad. I think this game will be awesome

Yeah I happen to be one of those crazies that roll my eyes at the proliferation of DEI representation for every people group out there.
But when I saw this trailer, I didn't care that I'd be playing the game as a girl. I just wanted to play the game.

Some of the comments here are insane..

While I understand the diverse range of characters in games today, I play for escapism and immersion. When I play a game, especially one with a strong narrative or action-driven experience, I want to visualize myself as the lead character, which for me is a male lead. This connection helps me become fully immersed in the story and the gameplay. However, when I play as a female character, it breaks that sense of immersion for me, making it harder to enjoy the experience in the same way.

This isn't about disliking female characters or having an issue with women in games, but rather about personal preference and how I engage with the medium. Gaming, for me, is a way to project myself into a role, and as a male, I naturally find it easier to connect with male leads.

Additionally, here's the thing, I feel there’s been a noticeable push toward a feminist agenda in many recent games and other forms of entertainment. This trend feels less about genuine diversity or storytelling and more about scoring points or catering to specific trends! With the majority of players on platforms like PlayStation being male, it feels like these shifts are sometimes forced, which takes away from the authenticity of the experience for me.

At the end of the day, gaming is a personal experience, and I prefer to invest in games that align with how I want to engage with stories and characters.

Sure I don't agree with people hating on the game, but equally the people who a mocking those that take my position also need to grow the heck up.

@UltimateOtaku91 he doesn't have an issue with that because women help bring to life a game about a white male.

Female characters are allowed to exist if:
1. They're there to help the male protagonist
2. They're the protagonist but they're eye candy with many revealing outfits.

Everything else makes him feel emasculated and needs to be attacked by like minded people to make him feel good about himself.

Female gamer here: I never played GoT because it featured a male protagonist and I wasn't a big fan of the setting in the first place. I'll definitely wanna play this one however, having a female protag is always a huge selling point for me. Especially in recent years, I started to get sick of game companies pushing male protagonists into their games. I really hope the game industry moves away from the "male is the default gender" mindset in the future and the gamers who complain about female protagonists learn that women exist and they make up half the earth's population lol.

The protagonist being a female isn’t necessarily the problem with a lot of people. After all, finding out that Samus was a girl after beating Metroid on the NES was pretty cool. Over the years following we have had amazing leading ladies like Lara Croft and others.

The bigger issue is the increased focus on identity politics that studios are pushing heavily and recently have been seeing negative results for. I’m not here to condemn people for thinking one way or another, but the industry has taken a very hard-Left turn, and now gamers are becoming turned off by the results. It’s making a lot of people extra cautious about any new releases.

@naruball Name one.

@JustMyOpinion "This trend feels less about genuine diversity or storytelling and more about scoring points or catering to specific trends!"

I genuinely do wonder whether people really believe that others do ot for the points. Like where do you exchange those points for anything?

Imagine this guy if he played games in my era and found out Samus was a woman.

@naruball
DEI score is the first thing that comes to mind.

Where's the I'll miss Jin but can't wait to play Atsu's story option. Will be interesting to see what story they come up with. Since Tsushima was a smaller island and it was about fighting against an overwhelming invading army. This one ur a ronin looking for someone but being hunted by ronin.

@8bit4Life
Glad to have one sane person here

@LifeGirl Barbie. Anti-woke kept insisting it will flop for being woke and it became the biggest movie of 2023. It wasn't for them, but it was clearly for others.

@naruball ''Like where do you exchange those points for anything?''

Genuine question: Have you ever heard of the terms ''virtue signalling'' and ''social capital''?
Because that is where you exchange your points.

@Chupa_loyzer yes, what do you with these scores? Do you get extra funding from the "DEI fund"?

@naruball I agree with you there, I doubt Nier Automata, Tomb Raider, Stellar Blade or Bayonetta would be as popular if the main characters weren't "Voluptuous".

@LifeGirl we're talking about businesses. That means nothing if their product fails.

@naruball You are literally saying this a few weeks after Sony lost 400 million dollars on Concord. Clearly there are some businesses out there who are willing to take that risk.

It was only a matter of time. I liked Jinn a lot too but come on! Sucker Punch literally has a borderline perfect record at this point. Their worst game is Infamous Second Son...and that's a great game too!

If Sucker Punch felt the need to move on then I trust them. At least wait until the game is out before we start the next battle of the culture war!

Ugh I swear I hate the culture war. It's SOOOO STUPID.

@naruball
Millions of flies can't be wrong when choosing the biggest like of manure, right?

@Chupa_loyzer couldn't be further from the point I'm making. You may wanna read the point I was replying to.

@naruball

You're basically right. You get your project funded by your superiors!

@Chupa_loyzer who are these superiors?

Wait, so putting a girl in your game as the main protagonist is woke now? I missed that memo...

I can see where some people are coming from about so called "wokeness" but I'd just like to add one thing (and this isnt aimed at everyone) but I'd like to ask one thing. If AC shadows had a white male character as the second main, or Ghost had a white male character take over from Jin, would there be the same level of uproar?

@LifeGirl again. You bring up one example and think you can generalize based on it. And the premise is false.

1. We don't know if it cost that much.
2. No matter how much it cost, you're saying it failed solely because of "virtue signaling" ignoring all the other factors, including the fact that so many other gaas games have failed without anything "woke" about them. It's called confirmation bias.

Lastly, you accuse developers of virtue signaling without taking into consideration that several of them could be doing it as expression of themselves and not for others.

This BS of screaming "Woke" at any game that has a female lead has to stop. Games with female leads have been around for years and years with Tomb Raider, Parasite Eve, Metroid, Beyond Good and Evil, FF13, Perfect Dark, WET, Golden Axe, Heavenly Sword, Hellblade, Fatal Frame, Mirrors Edge, Dishonoured spin off, Dino Crisis and many more.

But for some reason over the last few years certain people seem to have a problem with female protagonists like they shouldn't exist.

I'm really excited for a sequel, and a woman samurai as the lead protagonist is something I'm all for.

Also seeing so many people complain about this kind of stuff is just so exhausting nowadays. People complain about everything.

Idgaf who the protagonist is. But if this turns out to be another battleground for culture war then I'm out.

@UltimateOtaku91

Who would've thought people tend to have problems when certain things get forced on them huh?

"over Jin Sakai"

The history of Jin is done, that's the whole point of the DLC. That's why "experts" said Ghost of Tsushima as a franchise had a limit, because the history of Jin is complete.

"Made on masculinity" the point of Ghost of Tsushima is the fragility of Jin, aren't those dudes who have a problem with female protagonists the same that think having feelings isn't part of being a man? LOL.

F* those guys. This is a new story with a new protagonist.

@Chupa_loyzer Whats being "forced" on them?

Female Protagonists have been around since the beginning of gaming and some are even gaming icons. You have to be truly sexist to have a problem with that.

@Chupa_loyzer no one is forcing anything in anyone dude lol. People can just not buy.

Seriously can't understand why people wanted GoT2. Invasion of Tsushima is over. Jin's story is over. GoT was a historical game, people wanted a fanfic?

@GymratAmarillo
People can also express their opinion. Even if others don't like it.

@UltimateOtaku91

@8bit4Life put it perfectly.

@Chupa_loyzer and people can express their opinion on the expressed opinion, even if the person who can expressed it doesn't like it and doesn't see the irony.

It's actually very interesting what's happening.

Remember when Infamous 1+2 came out? Remember when Second Son came out and then First Light?

How many people complained about wokeness or DEI for switching from male characters to a female? How many complained that the female character was forced upon them?

I don't care about the character I play in a game as long as it is enjoyable.
On character creation screens I just cycle through 3 or 4 random creations and roll with it. I do like them to have blue hair if that is an option though.

@naruball
The idea of "scoring points" in discussions around diversity or inclusivity in media is more metaphorical than literal, I hoped that was easy to grasp without having to explain it. When people mention that a trend feels like it’s about "scoring points," they’re often referring to the notion of virtue signaling—where companies or creators are seen as making changes to appear progressive or socially aware without a deeper commitment to those values. It’s not about exchanging these "points" for something tangible, but rather gaining social approval, public praise, or favorable attention for being aligned with current trends.

From this perspective, I, and many others believe that diversity or feminist representation in media might sometimes be disingenuous if it seems motivated by public image rather than genuine storytelling or commitment to those values.

Critics of this trend argue that tokenism—the practice of making superficial efforts to include certain groups—is a concern, as it can result in characters or narratives that feel forced rather than organically woven into a story. Conversely, many creators and companies assert that they're making an intentional effort to diversify narratives to better reflect a broad range of experiences and perspectives.

Ultimately, this skepticism stems from a perception that motivations behind some diversity initiatives are driven by the desire to gain social or commercial advantages rather than authentic representation.

So, my point still stands.

I do think it sucks that a game like this is launching into an environment where stuff like "girl bosses" are incredibly taboo. IMO, I don't like the constant gender swapping and replacing of masculine roles with females....when it's done poorly.

Jin was the least interesting part of GoT to me. I honestly forgot his name. If there's one thing that Blue Eyes Samurai taught me is that a badass female samurai can work just fine if handled properly. Just don't take away what makes her a female by trying to make her just a man with boobs. Retaining her femininity while also being a warrior would be great to see.

@Chupa_loyzer I read his comment and I can see where he's coming from but at the same time the ratio of male protagonist to female is still very high, as much as it's always been. The reason people are noticing female protagonists more now is because they are getting more lead roles in the bigger more popular games/IP's. If Ghost of Tsushima was an indie game with not many sales, this wouldn't have been an issue.

@JustMyOpinion you may wanna let others judge whether your point stands or not (I've made that mistake myself). It's like saying "according to me, I'm right". Well, of course you'd think so.

The reason your point doesn't stand is that it still does not address the primary purpose of virtue signaling. "Victoria's Secret's" CEO refused to be inclusive and their sales tanked. Their CEO was fired and then they started hiring people from all sizes, among other things. They changed their image and the virtue signaling worked.

But what do video game companies have to gain from virtue signalling?

Before having an opinion I would like to hear an expert of medieval Japan and Japanese history. There is a strong distinction between men and women in the Japanese society, so does this samurai girl stuff makes any sense or is it another cultural appropriation from woke westerners, like the new Assassin’s Creed game scandal?

On formerly Twitter you can pretty much find any opinion on anything and make a controversy on whatever you want, I tune out when I see "rando Twitter user says". With that said I can't wait for this new game!

Bruh. Some people I swear.

I absolutely love their decision to set the sequel in another region and 300 years later. Day one for sure.

The more I rewatch the trailer the more I love it.

@naruball
>But what do video game companies have to gain from virtue signalling?

Hmmmm...

I think it's the right decision. Jin's story was fully explored in the 1st game. A new setting and protagonist keeps things very fresh. It reminds me of, well, Assassin's Creed...

I am actually glad they shifted from Tsushima and Jin. I actually hoped they would move to a medieval Europe or something. Getting rid of Samurai

@B0udoir read about Onna-musha. not that it matters to me personally, but yes there were female warriors in pre-modern Japan.

I still don't understand why is it so big problem to give people choice to pick whatever character they want and forcing to give them woman IF they MUST include all DEI? It is only about changing few polygons.

People only need to go look at the twitter feed of the VA, if they hired someone respectful who isn't full of hate there would be less controversy beyond people disappointed it's not a continuation of Jin's story.

@djlard i don't think they need to create to separate characters because some people want to play as a man vs playing as a woman. you have a story , and a main character. i don't think there really is too much more to it.

I want to play as a male character… this truly sucks. Especially in a game with loot and equipment. I want to equip my characters in cool gear I wish I could wear, and see my character grow… it has nothing to do with “wokness”. But this is nonetheless very sad to see, another Sony game with no male protagonist. Only spider man left right?

If you don't mind that female gamers frequently have had to play as male protagonists, but think it's wrong that you have to occasionally play as a fully dressed female (because no one ever seems to whine when the female is wearing little clothing), then YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.

@djlard Include all DEI? What on earth is that supposed to mean? They chose to tell a story about a female main character, that's all there is to it. Making it a choice isn't just a cosmetic change, it could fundamentally alter everything about the story.

@waynesworld

Do you have any good books/articles in this subject you would recommend?

@naruball While it's true that companies like Victoria’s Secret shifted their branding for inclusivity and saw a change, that’s a scenario where public pressure and consumer spending directly impacted the company's success.

When it comes to video game companies, the potential gains from "virtue signaling" are more nuanced. Companies, just like any other business, are constantly analyzing demographics and trends, trying to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Representation—whether in the form of female leads, diverse characters, or more inclusive narratives—is part of attracting and retaining different audiences.

Some might argue that video game companies do this to broaden their appeal to new markets, including female gamers and more progressive players. Others might believe that it's about ensuring the industry isn’t stagnant, stuck only in a traditional male-oriented focus. Whether or not that’s seen as “virtue signaling” depends on perspective, but it's clear that just like other media industries, gaming companies also stand to gain in terms of reputation, audience growth, and media attention by promoting diversity.

So, the gains aren’t necessarily the same as Victoria's Secret, but they do exist. It’s just that in gaming, they might not be as directly tied to sales or product shifts, but more to long-term industry growth and inclusivity.

It's good that those "gamers" are being called out, even if only on Twitter.

I'm still angry at that Samus Aran reveal from 38 years ago on the NES! NintenDEI right?!

@JustMyOpinion God forbid POC or women get to see themselves in video games, because that was the choice a developer wanted to make.

@jrt87 I get what you're saying, and I think there’s a big difference between playing a human character and a fictional creature like a bandicoot. When I play as something like Crash Bandicoot, the immersion isn't based on identifying with him as a human—it’s more about the fun of the platforming, the world, and the challenge. But when it comes to human characters, especially in more story-driven games, I personally feel more immersed when the character is someone I can relate to, particularly from a male perspective.

That said, I get that different people connect to characters in different ways, and for some, it may not matter at all. But for me, being able to visualize myself as the character makes a huge difference in how invested I get in the story and experience.

How anyone can argue about how I'm supposed to feel when playing games is genuinely beyond me. If you enjoy playing as a female led character in the game type I described, more power to you, and I'm happy both some men and women will enjoy a female lead. But I don't, and many others share my reasoning.

@pharos_haven I'm not sure I understand you, sorry. I don't do to well with sarcasm unfortunately

This comment section wasn’t quite the dumpster fire I was expecting. Is the world healing?

@EYEBALL. 😃 word up son

"Stick a chick in it and make her lame" 😛

Forced diversity/tokenism isn't ok. It's a red flag. This game is not that. Her story as an onna-musha will be interesting. But you can blame other studios for shoehorning diversity as much as you can blame the loons that call literally anything woke.

Where's the 'I'm interested but still haven't got around to the first one yet!' option? Can't even remember when I bought my copy, may have been over 2 years ago... 🙄

One day. Surely one day....

@Americansamurai1 They are literally attacking the actress for being a women.

These people need to GTFO out of gaming and if they wanna act tough online, go out irl and talk like that to people at night and see the results.

I feel the complaining is ridiculous. Honestly, what was really left to do with Jin? Sure, they could've come up with some generic story that gives him an excuse to be in another game given how well the original did, but they went the much more creative way with it. I'm all for that, regardless of how good Jin's character was.

@Deityjester Omg! I just looked her up 😬. I understand why negativity is flowing her way. I'm hopeful that the game will be fun & don't mind a female lead. I doubt SP would let any of the VA's inject or tie their ideologies the game. Interested in seeing more about the game and the main character.

In my mind a direct sequel was never in the cards. It just wouldn't make much sense. That just proves a complete surface level understanding of the first game.
I wouldn't hold my breath on a direct sequel to shogun either.

It’s always good to be reminded why I don’t tell people that I’m a gamer, just so many miserable embarrassing people are in this hobby.

@tameshiyaku Shogun season 2 is happening. With Hiroyuki Sanada back. It’s incredibly stupid.

@jrt87 I understand that everyone experiences games differently, and I respect that for you, controlling a digital character on a screen might not impact immersion in the same way. However, I wouldn’t necessarily call my preference idiosyncratic. Just like some people enjoy certain genres of games, books, or movies because they connect with them on a personal level, others, like myself, feel a stronger connection when the character mirrors something about themselves—whether it’s gender, background, or other traits.

For me, playing as a male character enhances the immersion, especially in story-driven games, and that’s just how I connect with the experience. I know it may not be the same for everyone, but that doesn’t make it less valid. It’s all about how different people find their own form of escapism and connection.

I want to clarify my stance before wrapping up, as it's becoming difficult to track responses here. I don't support negative comments about the game simply because it features a female lead. However, it's important to acknowledge that not wanting to play due to the personal reasons I mentioned earlier is entirely valid. It’s not strange or idiosyncratic just because you find it different —everyone engages with media differently, and personal preference should be respected,

Ah of course we live in a time of ‘Entitled’ individuals that can depict what they want instead of the vision of the creators insisting they can do better. The so called know it all generation.

I agree with Shawn if you’re not part of the process or do not believe in the direction don’t buy it and perhaps not have a fit over something that’s been done across generations anyway? People watch movies and simp over lead female roles if this was a hot looking women people would be all over it and vise verca… Just because something isn’t designed for ‘you’ doesn’t particularly mean everyone else has to agree. Sheez it’s why we can’t have good things anymore🙄.

The issue as well is everything is taken far too literal or serious as if it affects your daily living, it’s not like the lead protagonist is way off from the logic of the game.

Hmmm… not sure why someone of his stature is posting stuff like this. I mean, I agree with his sentiment, but let us peasants have the “If you don’t like it, don’t buy it” and “If you think you can do better, make your own game” jabs at these idiots. We have enough people in power in this world who spout nonsense like a 14 year old on social media. No need to add to the problem.

I'm not sure how the guy can say Atsu is a forced "girlboss narrative" character when she doesn't even speak a single line in the trailer.

I guess some people put too much time on culture war. These people needs to get off from twitter or social media and take a long vacation to heal their mental health.

And there's plenty of great games with female lead like Metroid with Samus, RE with Jill/Claire/Rebecca/Sheva/Ada, Dino Crisis with Regina, Parasite Eve with Aya Brea, Alien Isolation with Amanda Ripley, Silent Hill 3 with Heather, Bayonetta, FF with Terra/Yuna/Ash/Light, etc etc. Ghost of Yotei Atsu could be one of them.

Sure, I won't buy it lol

I didn't even notice it was a woman.

Reason why i am not buying is because i didn't find the original that entertaining.

Really need to know more before I consider getting hyped for it. If it tells a good story and has good gameplay I'm in but having a new protagonist is disheartening.

So it's all good when a protagonist is a woman as long as she's hot and gets hot outfits (Stellar Blade). But it's "girlboss narrative" if the woman isn't a supermodel and covered up.

I hate the internet.

I don't even care that the protagonist is a woman. Another game from Sucker Punch that is checking all the Kurosawa boxes yet again is all I need!

I don't know really. We barely know anything about the character. We see audiences say a lot of things. I don't know till we see it.

I've been fine with female protagonists but I still care about the gameplay. Regardless of character selection or focused on 1 character and no choice to choose. Dialogue/themes if off sure but otherwise I don't pay attention to most of it anyways.

Not going to play the game regardless, first one didn't interest me, played Infamous Second Son/First Light late though and enjoyed them.

I know people that will play this and have no care for the cultural stuff but not hold it as a reason to not buy the game.

I cared about Balan/Forspoken/Immortals for gameplay or fantasy themes with a shooter coming back. I don't care.

The industry changes are annoying (not just for mainstream or social media audiences or whatever they decide to do) I get that I'm hating it with how dull gameplay besides the cultural/staff changes/consulting companies and regardless of tone just interesting environments/themes but 99% of the time it's gameplay is dull and boring and so dumbed down/lacking imagination or creativity just safeness.

Replaced instead because the staff involved I can tell it's not just the mainstream audience safeness it's mostly the staff in said positions filled by those skilled or not as much due to the less inspired games are so to them in some cases it's normal in the case of just thinking about Sims 5 being cancelled and 10+ years of the Sims and some people's starts are that game so how dull it is is normal to them because new norms. Or they were excited but either their efforts or the studio leadership efforts are making things duller. Or 'copy that' because no creative bone in their bodies for that level of intelligence/leadership is so good. XD

Or as much creative ideas getting out and whatever else is prioritized, whatever values, whatever base then altered in some way or whatever younger staff/annoying minded older staff think versus veterans and then those veterans that want to be creative or less restricted and don't mind the money change for more flexibility go stuff this and make their own studios instead not just the higher up money milking either.

But at the same time just buy other games, voicing it only changes so much. Get the game pre-owned so Sony gets less to none of the money then or can they not hold their desperation or just deal with whatever socail media bandwagons say?

That's predictable, innit? Wish everyone would just chill and enjoy games. I'm not missing out on this one. SP are amazing

games gonna be good im sure there will be a Jin DLC costume anyway

@CrashBandicoat "Should have done what Ubisoft did with Odyssey. If they can do it, don’t tell me you can’t"

Ubisoft and Sucker Punch are two different devs with different ideas. Just because Ubisoft did it with Odyssey doesn't mean Sucker Punch must follow their footsteps. I prefer both of them do their own rather than we got the same stuff.

No one cares about females leads being in video games because if they did certain games wouldn't have became so popular. They have a problem with the cult of diversity aka intersectionality.

I am quite looking forwards to this game myself but I definitely want to see more gameplay.

Every studio should sign even a small deal with Sweet Baby just so these losers find a different hobby to vent their toxic insecurity.

Gotta love incels, man. Seriously feel bad for the devs having to deal with this low-level crap.

Culture war brain worms

@DeepEyes agreed the "if you don't like it don't buy it" hasn't worked out very well for those saying it lately in games and films, as people take it as a challenge and say FU I won't lol, also the tweet does have it merits as the "girl boss" has been done to death lately especially in movies where they've unfortunately been incredibly shallow and poorly written. But judging by the characters in all of SP previous games i'm alright with this, they've shown they can write decent layered characters of all types, didn't hear people complaining about the ageing lesbian girl boss in the first ghost lol. I'm guessing because lady Masako was well written and relatable, with an engaging story and missions. I'm sure SP will do this protagonist justice explaining in a believable way why she's trained and on a revenge run. Personally I'm hyped, SP have never disappointed me going all the way back to Sly Cooper and GoT was goat in my eyes

There's nothing worse than saying that, you want people to buy your games 🤦🏻

@nessisonett Well there was a mongol invasion of japan in 1274 and then again in 1281 both stopped by typhoons.
But I like this anthology approach as well. I want to visit a different area.

@mountain_spider yes we're in agreement. There was no confusion. When you're chronically online with your opinions. You will get backlash for the things you say. That's the VA's problem to deal with. I'm optimistic SP will make another good game. So I'll be playing it. I'm fine with the lead being a girl. Stellar Blade was fun, My Nioh 2, Elden Ring & Cyberpunk characters are based on my wife, because I got tired of making myself 😄

Plus I'm sure GoY will have a Japanese dub if you don't want to support the English VA's work with a listen.

For me the situation reminds me of RD2. when that came out I hated the idea of not playing as John Marston, a character I loved from what I considered one of the most emotive games I'd played. 30 minutes into RD2 and I was in love with Arthur and what he stood for and could be. If a games developer is talented enough to create one amazing character in Jin chances are they can do it again. I can't wait to play this new Ghost game.
I also feel these people completing should just constantly play as the tall, white, blonde, male protagonist of Wolfenstein 24/7 and miss all the irony of the game.

Ignore the gamer gate and anti-SJW bs. It is click harvesting and nothing more

Looking forward to this. Loved GoT

Do we gamers really hate women that much?? I dunno about you but I like to see some female pixels on my screen

@naruball Baldurs Gate 3 too. Heard that was a pretty well received game...

This all gets solved if we have good character creation systems. All cut-scenes can then be in-engine. Monster Hunter World comes to mind for the in-engine scenes. In fact, I'd rather just make my own character anyway.

@nessisonett Yeah, that's weird but we'll see where that goes. Hollywood already depleted half it's stock on Japanese actors they like to cast frequently. If season 2 has Ken Watanabe then they've depleted the entire pool.

I literally see nothing wrong with the direction of this game. It's a new timeline and a new character created for it.
Look at Aloy for example. A female lead created for a game and an absolute badass character. One of the best created characters in years too if you ask me.

Look at Lara Croft. A female lead badass character and an iconic character in gaming. There's nothing wrong with a female lead if it fits. Some people need to get a life. Stop looking for reasons to hate and just enjoy it for what it is. Or don't spend your money and shut up, no one is holding a gun to your head.

I've got a friend who anytime he sees a game or movie with a female lead or any kind of importance he starts shouting "it's woke, it's woke, it's woke!" Judging it before even anything is really known about it and judging it without even trying it and often turning out to be wrong. It's tiring because some people are fixated on hating and won't give things a chance.

It's smart to distance the story from Jin imo and to move the location. And I love the idea of a female protag...BUT this is a very slippery slope. If she is a woke girl boss it will single-handedly kill the franchise.

There is no poll option for "wait and see." Initially I was excited to see a new game in the Ghost series, female protagonist isn't an issue, but after learning dev's attitude and the person playing Atsu, I'm going to wait for more information.

Sucker Punch has done great work in the past, this can still be a great game, but I'm obviously not going to pre-order since there are a lot of red flags on this game due to who is involved.

I don't think I'm being unreasonable by having concerns over the precedents of recent bad games that have similar trends and social philosophies. I work hard for my money, so I'm not ready to spend it on something I might not enjoy. Will be looking for independent non-mainstream media reviews once game releases.

I won’t be playing. I’m a gay man but even I am just exhausted by all this it is relentless

@CrashBandicoat We call that water sports not rain

Fine! I won't buy it

it is not just the fact she is a woman but the fact as they say

The main actress behind Ghost of Yotei is a Queer Genderless activist. that is the main reason the anti woke crowd is upset

Do they have children working for these companies?

What kind of response is that for a company who wants people to spend money?

How many times do we have to see a company have that attitude and then go bust?

I was on the fence, now I will take his advice and keep my wallet closed.

@thefourfoldroot1 I agree, what's wrong with a female samurai anyway? I would rather watch a female character on screen for hours than the 'back' of a male, anyday.