Behind Ghost of Yōtei: Quest design, Cinematic samurai influences & Designing around different play styles

In this interview recorded at PAX Australia 2025, we sit down with Rob Davis, Campaign Director at Sucker Punch Productions, to dive deep into the making of Ghost of Yōtei, out now on PlayStation 5.Rob shares insights into quest design & player choice and how the team shapes quests, major fights, and designs with different playstyles in mind. How new character Atsu an Onryō compares to Ghost of Tsushima protagonist Jin Sakai the Samurai in both skill and approach when traversing the world and the story telling potential of a new perspective.We also learn about Rob's Australian development history and the path to these major PlayStation Studios: Rob’s journey from working on Ty the Tasmanian Tiger in Brisbane for Krome and eventually joining world-class teams like Sony Santa Monica Studio and now Sucker Punch.If you’re fascinated by game design, samurai storytelling, or the evolution of PlayStation's biggest titles, this conversation is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.Pocket Casts: You can now rate the show on Pocket Casts, give us a five star review learn more by heading here https://pocketcasts.com/ratings Apple Arcade: Enjoy unlimited access to over 200 incredibly fun games with no ads and no in-app purchases. From puzzle and adventure games to sports, racing, and multiplayer action games, everyone can count on finding something to love. Head to sifter.com.au/arcade to start your free trial* of Apple Arcade today and you'll be supporting independent video games journalism. *New subscribers only. AU$9.99/month after free trial. Plan automatically renews after trial until cancelled.You can support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by☕ Tipping us on KoFi https://www.ko-fi.com/sifterHQ👕 Wearing our merch https://sifter.store/💬 Talking to us on the SIFTER Discord https://www.sifter.com.au/discordSIFTER is produced by Kyle Pauletto, Fiona Bartholomaeus, Courtney Smith, Adam Christou, Chris Button and Naomi Jackson. Cat Jahne is Social Producer, Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Audio Technica Australia and Apple for their support of SIFTER.