2020 was a wild year. For video games, and absolutely nothing else. In PlayStation’s domain alone, we had Game of the Year winner The Last of Us: Part 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Ghost of Tsushima, before topping it all off with the launch of the PlayStation 5. What a year.
Five years later, the lack of games on the PS5 is no secret. We’ve not had a year like 2020 (again, for video games) since, and we probably won’t for the remainder of the PS5’s lifespan. However, we still get blockbuster PlayStation exclusives from time to time, and the most recent is a sequel to the aforementioned Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei.
Years removed from the dark and tormented story of Jin Sakai, Yotei follows heroine Atsu on her quest for revenge, and she’s just as brutal and unforgiving – if not more. The story is yet another gripping interpretation of samurai cinema within games, and the combat and exploration follow in Tsushima’s visually stunning and mechanically satisfying footsteps.
But none of that matters.
This Isn’t The Type Of Success That People Want, Anymore
I don’t doubt we’ll see Ghost of Yotei at The Game Awards this year, and perhaps a musical performance of the shamisen music we’re treated to across Atsu’s journey, but it’s not going to be the star of the show, no matter how good it turned out to be.
This year, there have been a bunch of unexpected games that have resonated with players, and the GOTY nominations are going to reflect that. It’s not the first time we’ve seen significant games being matched, if not outdone, by smaller efforts.
Back in 2018, Maddy Makes Games, the developer of Celeste, stood up on stage at The Game Awards as a Game of the Year nominee. Bearing in mind, this game was nominated alongside God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, and Monster Hunter: World.
Just last year, solo-developed Balatro was up for Game of the Year, alongside Astro Bot, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Metaphor: Refantazio, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Black Myth: Wukong.
Now, in 2025, the year is looking to be wrapped up with the celebration of Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: Silksong; two games made by incredibly small teams, but incredibly talented ones all the same. The love for those titles has been overwhelming.
With The State Of The Industry, People Are Looking To The Right Studios
This isn’t to say Ghost of Yotei doesn’t deserve the praise, and if the sales are anything to go by, it’s certainly successful. However, if you’re anything like me, the success of a first-party PlayStation game isn’t exactly a surprise. It’s almost a guarantee, and while I love it dearly, I won’t pretend that it’s the most important or impactful game of the year.
I still want these blockbusters to exist, certainly more than greed-driven cash-grabs or remasters of games you still own and can easily play; however, a triple-A game should still need to earn its place as a Game of the Year, just as much as a game made by a single person. If anything, it should require more work, as smaller devs don’t have the budget, resources, or baseline reputation that pretty much all triple-A studios start with.
2025 is a great year for this mindset. Over half a year after release, fans are still praising Expedition 33 with such passion, and the devs are ever grateful. Before announcing the Game of the Year as Astro Bot in 2024, Larian Studios’ CEO, Swen Vincke, gave a speech on the state of the industry and how the 2025 Game of the Year winner would be given to a studio that found the formula through passion and not through greed.
To me, that sounds more like the unexpected triumph of Sandfall Interactive, and less like the PlayStation-owned studio who were borderline assured for success.
Ghost of Yotei
4.0/5
- Released
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October 2, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Publisher(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment
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