Ghost of Yotei directors aren't worried about Assassin's Creed Shadows comparisons, they think it's "great" when they see more games like theirs: "We're big fans of feudal Japan"

It's easy to think game developers think of others as competitors, but in an interview with Ghost of Yotei directors Nate Fox and Jason Connell, the pair tell us they're not annoyed that Assassin's Creed Shadows has a similar setting and feature.

Instead of just going from map marker to map marker, you're going to have to interrogate some of your foes to get information on where the Yotei Six are in the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima sequel. This is a tale of revenge, after all, so you need to get up close and personal. Assassin's Creed Shadows has similar feature that requires you to investigate rather than just going from mission to mission.

"We're big fans of feudal Japan and open world games, and to see another one on the market is exciting as gamers, right? We make the game that we want to play, and to see more like that, it's great," says Fox.

"Our game is our game. It features the things we cherish. Our story of revenge is a classic in samurai cinema, but it's just the first step in this long tale of Atsu going from this broken lone wolf to assembling a wolf pack, and she changes. [...] We don't want to give away story details, but I can tell you that her quest for revenge is the start – absolutely not the whole thing – but it's a great start."

So, absolutely no worries from Fox on the similarities. "As creators, this is just a thing you run into," adds Connell. "We are huge fans of this stuff, so when other media comes out, whether it's a video game or a film or a TV show, we're kind of happy that it exists because it drives the medium forward."

I've always wondered how this happens. Do creatives just get inspired by the same things around the same time? The movies Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached immediately come to mind as two projects with very similar themes and plots coming out at the same time. What do you think?

In the meantime, check out all the upcoming video games of 2025 we have to look forward to.