After completing Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch studio shared new details about the plot. In an interview with Game Informer, lead writer Ian Ryan talked about how the game's ending differs from Ghost of Tsushima. There are spoilers in the article.
According to Ryan, the team considered many ideas, including an option with multiple endings, as in Tsushima. But in the end, the developers decided to make one — the one that best reflects Atsu's path, her desire for healing, and the consequences of revenge.
"We thought everything through. There were happier versions, there were completely tragic ones. But it was important to show that Atsu must reach the end of the road, losing something that she could not control, no matter how hard she tried."
PLOT SPOILER!
The screenwriter admitted that the lack of choice in the finale contrasts with the rest of the game, where the player was given freedom of action. But it was the ending that was supposed to emphasize the key theme: Atsu cannot move on with her brother.
"I wanted to show that all decisions lead to this point. She finds herself again where she thought she had lost her brother, but now there is a niece nearby, whose existence she did not know about. She has to live, following Jubey's covenant — "fight for the living."
Ryan noted that the studio did not want to introduce a choice "just for the sake of choice" and break the emotional logic of the finale.
