“As long as you’re having fun, we don’t care,” say the Ghost of Yotei developers, who are entirely unfazed by players skipping large portions of their work. Sucker Punch insists that skipping side content is fine because the game is designed around player freedom.

PlayStation has wrapped up 2025 with its final exclusive of the year. With Ghost of Yotei now on the market, the Japanese company is already gearing up for an even more ambitious 2026 while enjoying the success of Sucker Punch’s latest title, which is performing strongly in sales. However, the game’s creative director, Jason Connell, made a rather unexpected remark: he doesn’t mind if players skip a large chunk of the game’s content — as long as they’re enjoying themselves.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Connell explained that the studio doesn’t feel betrayed if players focus on the main story and ignore side quests or optional content. “If they don’t want to do them, we tell them, ‘That’s fine, that’s their choice. As long as they’re having fun, we really don’t care.’” the creative director said.

Ghost of Yotei Offers More Freedom Than Ghost of Tsushima

Like the first Ghost of Tsushima, the American studio has packed the game with plenty of side quests and activities — from uncovering secrets to cutting bamboo or helping NPCs. Because Connell’s team emphasized that this is the most free-form game they’ve ever made — both structurally and narratively — Sucker Punch designed an experience that players can skip without consequence.

During the same conversation, Connell also addressed the difficulty of maintaining pacing in such a vast open world. “Narrative pacing is easier to understand and more transparent, but open-world pacing is much more challenging. We use all kinds of tricks to make it work and keep players engaged.”

With this approach, Sucker Punch continues to prioritize freedom, experimentation, and enjoyment above all else, solidifying its position as one of Sony’s most respected exclusive studios. Ultimately, it’s not about how much of the game you explore — what matters is that every moment feels like a memorable experience.

Source: 3djuegos