Ghost of Yotei Sequel Could Look Very Different After Major Change

The developer behind Ghost of Yōtei and Ghost of Tsushima, as well as both the Sly Cooper and inFAMOUS series, may be about to go through some pretty big changes in the next couple of years, following the announcement that one of its original founders has left the company.

Even if you haven’t heard of the name Brian Fleming, you’re almost definitely familiar with his work.

Fleming has been a part of Sucker Punch since 1997 and helped found the studio alongside several other ex-Microsoft employees, such as Bruce Oberg and Darrell Plank.

He was there from day one, and even worked on their very first game, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, in 1999, before they were subsequently purchased by Sony following the release of inFAMOUS 2.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to us at the time, Fleming’s last game at Sucker Punch has already come and gone; Ghost of Yōtei, the 2025 PlayStation 5 sequel to Ghost of Tsushima.

As covered in an article by GameSpot just before Christmas, Fleming announced on LinkedIn that he has officially departed from Sucker Punch as of December 16, and will be replaced by new studio heads Jason Connell and Adrian Bentley (per an official post on Sony Interactive’s website).

Ghost of Yōtei promo image front PlayStation Store page, Sony

“So, what do you think I should do next? That’s the big question — because after 28 absolutely life changing years at the helm of Sucker Punch, I’ve decided it’s time to shake up the snow-globe…” Fleming announced in a post on LinkedIn.

“I leave Sucker Punch in the capable hands of the strongest leadership team we’ve ever had — Adrian and Jason will do an amazing job as Studio Heads… And the rest of the directors — Nate, Joanna, Billy, Gail, Parker, Sonia, Rob etc… They are all so capable and so READY for new challenges that I have nothing but confidence the studio will continue to flourish…”

While Fleming stated that he’s not entirely sure what his plans are following his departure, as it seems he’s far more focused on a well-deserved holiday for the time being, it sounds the decision to leave Sucker Punch was entirely his own.

As for how this may affect a sequel to Ghost of Yōtei, that’s obviously not clear at this current point in time.

However, Fleming was responsible for producing essentially every single Sucker Punch game up until this point, so it’s doubtless that the new studio heads at Sucker Punch will have their work cut out for them in the future.

I just hope that holiday of his doesn’t last too long, because I’m already excited to see what Fleming cooks up next.