Two senior members of the Ghost of Tsushima development team are to become ambassadors of the real island of Tsushima. PlayStation exclusive Ghost of Tsushima has been widely praised for its beautiful open-world setting and compelling storyline, and Japan is one of the game’s biggest fanbases.
Ghost of Tsushima has raised the global profile of the real-world island of Japan’s Tsushima Island since the game’s initial release in July 2020. The result of this newfound fame saw members of the Ghost of Tsushima fan community band together to raise funds for the island after a typhoon destroyed one of its historic Torii shrine gates. The local shrine priest, Yuichi Hirayama, publicly acknowledged that it was the Ghost of Tsushima community that donated a vast sum of the final money raised through the Campfire campaign (Japan’s counterpart of Kickstarter) that he started to fund the repairs.
Now the island is honoring two of Ghost of Tsushuima’s lead developers. Sucker Punch Production’s Game Director Nate Fox and Creative Director Jason Connell will receive the distinctions of becoming permanent tourism ambassadors of the city of Tsushima in Nagasaki. In a statement translated by VGC, Tsushima mayor Hiroki Hitakatsu said:
“ [Fox and Connell] spread the name and history of Tsushima to the whole world in such a wonderful way. Even a lot of Japanese people do not know the history of the Gen-ko period. When it comes to the world, the name and location of Tsushima is literally unknown, so I cannot thank them enough for telling our story with such phenomenal graphics and profound stories.”
Hitakatsu also mentioned that this is the first time in history that this honor has been bestowed upon those who had spread the “name and history of Tsushima through their works.” The award has previously been presented to notable Japanese citizens. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the award ceremony for the Ghost of Tsushima developers will be held digitally. Both Fox and Connell will receive a letter of appreciation along with the presentation of their awards. Hitakatsu also shared that he wished he could bestow the same honor to the whole of the Sucker Punch team, as he has them all to thank for the increased recognition that the island has garnered since the release of Ghost of Tsushima.
There are currently rumors circulating that Sucker Punch is working on a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima. Several job listings have appeared on the company’s website that strongly indicate that more content will be coming. These include posts for a combat designer who “must have played Ghost of Tsushima” and a narrative writer with the “desire to write stories about feudal Japan.” While nothing has been confirmed yet, there is still the Ghost of Tsushima: Legends multiplayer mode to keep players entertained.
Many are also hopeful for a Ghost of Tsushima PlayStation 5 port, but there’s been nothing official to go on. Whatever Sucker Punch does decide to next, however, will likely be worth waiting for.
Ghost of Tsushima is available now for the PlayStation 4.
