Ghost of Yotei’s Feels Rooted in Place, And Here's How

Sucker Punch wants Ghost of Yotei to feel rooted in place – even if it’s fiction. So before building the game’s version of 1600s Hokkaido, the team got on a plane and started asking questions.

Led by co-creative director Nate Fox, the developers visited shrines, dug through museum archives, and picked vegetables with Ainu elders to better understand the culture they plan to represent. “We’re an American team,” Fox admits. “We don’t show up with built-in knowledge.”

Their journey started with help from a cultural adviser who introduced them to her family. The team stopped snapping reference photos and joined the group in foraging for wild plants. That small act of learning through touch, taste, and conversation left a mark. They’ve since added foraging to the gameplay, hoping players can feel what they felt on that mountain.

Other recent Gaming news –

• These are the Nine titles PlayStation Plus Will Launch on June 17 – Complete Details
• Giant Squid’s ‘Sword of the Sea’ Confirmed for PS5 Release via PlayStation Plus on THIS Date
• Robots at Midnight Is A New Game that Brings Retro Punchy Action to Xbox – Know More

The team also explored the Nibutani Ainu Museum, where they studied traditional tools and rituals. On the Oshima Peninsula, they traced the legacy of the Matsumae clan and observed the cherry trees imported from Honshu. Every observation shaped how the game’s setting came together, including long stretches of wilderness, sparse settlements, and cultural intersections.

Producer Ryuhei Katami then guided the Ghost of Yotei team through Honshu to study Edo-period sites, including Nikko Toshogu Shrine, where they received a blessing for the project. The sacred artifacts now sit in the studio, facing south, as quiet reminders of why accuracy matters.

Fox ends his post with a suggestion: “Go to Hokkaido.” He says standing where history happened and listening first changed how they built this world. And this time, they didn’t just write it from a distance. They walked it.

You may also be interested to read –

• Google Now Lets Workspace Admins Restrict Who Can Send and Answer Forms
• OpenAI Cuts Ties With Scale AI Days After Meta’s Investment – Know More Here
• Google Adds Real-Time Voice Chat to Search in AI Mode and It Actually Works