Ghost of Tsushima was a smash hit for the PlayStation in 2020. Set in 13th century Japan on the island of Tsushima, players are able to explore a gorgeous world as a samurai warrior looking to overthrow the Mongols that have taken over the island. It’s a fun game that was nominated for multiple Game of The Year awards and the people who played it thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. The only thing that was missing from it was a multiplayer experience, but that did eventually make its way to the game via a free update known as Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.
A lot of players enjoyed the multiplayer mode, albeit saying it was a little long, but it had a hefty amount of content for free DLC. However, there are going to be players that want to play the multiplayer with their friends and not have to buy a $60 – $70 game just to do that. Sucker Punch saw this and decided that the best solution would be to sell the multiplayer as a standalone game for those players. On September 3, Legends will receive an update to the game that will shorten the survival mode and also add a new competitive feature called “Rivals.” That update will also be a standalone game that players who don’t own Ghost of Tsushima can purchase for $20. The new Rivals mode they’re going to introduce will be a competitive Horde mode where players not only have to survive their own waves but can spend collectible Magatama’s to make their opponents have a more difficult time. Whichever team completes their waves the quickest, or survives the longest, wins the match.
Alongside multiplayer, Sucker Punch has also been developing a Director’s Cut of the game that will come out later this month on August 20. The game will be available on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 so anyone that wants to experience the new multiplayer mode, but hasn’t played Ghost of Tsushima before, can consider the Director’s Cut as a way to get the full experience. Of course, anyone that just wants a new game to play with their friends can purchase the standalone multiplayer and do that too.
While Sucker Punch’s offer seems a little unconventional it is actually following a trend that we might see from more games soon. In the past, a strong multiplayer mode could be a big sell for a game because it would tell players that they have something fun to do once they’re done with the story. However, that push to create strong multiplayer has gone so far in one direction that many video game fans feel that the single-player experience is becoming an afterthought. To make sure this doesn’t happen we’re starting to see games offer multiplayer as a completely separate side mode for anyone who doesn’t want to experience the single-player story. Some games, like the upcoming Halo Infinite, are even going a step further and making them free to play. This feels like a trend that his here to stay.