SUMMARY
  • Sucker Punch Productions is about to bring the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, but it replaced the protagonist with a female lead.
  • This introduction of a female lead made Stellar Blade players look back to the time when Eve was revealed and received massive hate from the community.
  • Even though it is nothing compared to Eve, Atsu is also getting negative comments, not for her appearance but for replacing the male protagonist.

Sucker Punch is back with its upcoming potential masterpiece. After Ghost of Tsushima’s initial release on PlayStation, players have been waiting eagerly to get a sequel to this game. However, PlayStation’s State of Play has ended their wait. Ghost of Yotei will come in 2025 with certain changes that have become the top discussion topic after the trailer was launched.

Generally, in-game protagonists refer to male leads, but with time, this concept is rapidly changing, with renowned franchises bringing female protagonists. The problem is that some gamers are still unwilling to accept this fact and create controversies over the characterizations of female leads. Stellar Blade has suffered through this, and Ghost of Yotei’s trailer has reminded players about it. 

Stellar Blade Fans Brought up Eve After Ghost of Yotei Announcement

stellar blade eve fighting enemies
The Stellar Blade community wants Ghost of Yotei fans to stop criticizing the female protagonist.

Shift Up’s action-adventure game Stellar Blade is one of the most successful titles of 2024. Though till date, this game has been giving Sony troubles, its initial controversies about Eve’s appearance were something different.

The gaming world has always been biased toward male protagonists; therefore, the characterization of Eve, especially her clothing, brought thousands of negative comments. Despite that, Shift Up nailed it with the gameplay. 

Months after this, when Ghost of Yotei’s announcement trailer came, gamers astonishingly discovered that Sucker Punch Productions has shifted from the male protagonist Jin Sakai and brought a female protagonist Atsu to continue the series forward. 

Her characterization and appearance have reminded Stellar Blade fans of how some gamers were drooling over Eve a few months back.

A lot of other players joined her in the discussion, expressing the same opinion that female protagonists should be appreciated in games.

Despite these, it’s not likely that Atsu replacing Jin Sakai will be accepted willingly by the community. 

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Shawn Layden Replied to Fans Regarding Atsu’s Negative Reception

ghosts of yotei appearance of atsu
While Atsu received a negative reception for replacing Jin Sakai, the former Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO stood with her.

Just like Eve, Atsu is also getting a negative welcome from fans, but for a different reason. While gamers were slobbering over Eve’s clothes, Atsu is facing criticism for replacing the beloved Ghost of Tsushima protagonist Jin Sakai. 

After the trailer was launched, this replacement received massive outrage, and taking it on X, a user posted a screenshot where one gamer accused Sucker Punch of destroying a franchise that was built on masculinity by introducing a female protagonist.

Here, Shawn Layden appeared, and he defended the introduction of the female lead by answering the haters. He clearly mentioned that it is a game, and the developer made the story that it believed in.

Additionally, he mentioned that haters shouldn’t only criticize others’ works. Instead, they should make a game according to their preferences.

Going a little further, the former CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment asked not to purchase the game if someone was not happy with it. 

This reply clearly shows that these comments and hate can’t stop developers from making games that they want to make.