Ghost of Yōtei: When Activism Replaces Art

Ghost of Yōtei has officially launched, and the reaction is chaos — split right down the middle.
Some call it beautiful, others call it propaganda. Between bugs, censorship claims, and a lead actress whose activism overshadows her role, this might be the most politically charged game release of 2025.

In this video, I break down how Ghost of Yōtei — a game that should’ve been a spiritual successor to Ghost of Tsushima — turned into a cultural minefield instead of a samurai epic.
From developer controversies to alleged review removals, we’re looking at the full picture: how passion got replaced by PR, and art got swallowed by activism.

🔍 Referenced Articles & Sources

📰 Articles Mentioned in Video

Ghost of Yōtei Has Become a Full-Blown PR Nightmare Ahead of Its PS5 Release in October – Eneba
https://www.eneba.com/hub/news/ghost-of-yotei-has-become-a-full-blown-pr-nightmare-ahead-of-its-ps5-release-in-october/

Sucker Punch Breaks Silence on Ghost of Yōtei Dev Fired Over Charlie Kirk Post – TheGamer
https://www.thegamer.com/sucker-punch-breaks-silence-ghost-of-yotei-dev-fired-charlie-kirk-post/

Ghost of Yōtei Review – Deliciously Brutal and Stunningly Beautiful Revenge Quest – The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/oct/02/ghost-of-yotei-review-deliciously-brutal-and-stunningly-beautiful-revenge-quest

Ghost of Yōtei Review: A Beautiful Sequel That Feels Too Much Like a … – Tom’s Guide
https://www.tomsguide.com/gaming/ghost-of-yotei-review

Ghost of Yōtei Review-In Progress: A Spectacular But … – Kotaku
https://kotaku.com/ghost-tsushima-2-yotei-review-in-progress-open-world-2000628700

Ghost of Yōtei Day-One Patch Notes Clock In at 883 Words – GamesRadar+
https://www.gamesradar.com/games/open-world/ghost-of-yotei-day-one-patch-notes-clock-in-at-883-words-sucker-punch-hopefully-dodges-the-god-of-war-ragnarok-problem-by-limiting-puzzle-clues-in-some-difficulty-levels/

Interview: Ghost of Yōtei Star Erika Ishii Says She Felt So Supported Playing the New Protagonist Atsu – UnGeek
https://www.ungeek.ph/2025/09/interview-ghost-of-yotei-star-erika-ishii-says-she-felt-so-supported-playing-the-new-protagonist-atsu/

LGBTQ Ghost of Yōtei Voice Actor Linked to Antifa Movements – PinkNews
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/09/19/lgbtq-ghost-of-yotei-voice-actor-antifa/

Ghost of Yōtei’s Genderfluid Lead Triggers Online Controversy – GGRecon
https://www.ggrecon.com/articles/ghost-of-yotei-genderfluid-lead-triggers-online-controversy/

Ghost of Yōtei on Metacritic
https://www.metacritic.com/game/ghost-of-yotei/

📸 Visual / Social Media References

Facebook post used for context
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2570314913312246&set=pcb.2218905878522773

Viral meme image – 9GAG
https://images-cdn.9gag.com/photo/an7ME0L_700b.jpg

Tweet on Review Removal Allegation – @Pirat_Nation
https://x.com/Pirat_Nation/status/1975041698435645667

Tweet on Studio Response – @Cameron_Kestis
https://x.com/cameron_kestis/status/1975086320285560859

🎵 Music Credit

Music by Play List from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/users/playlistsons-48982054/

Track licensed for free use under Pixabay’s royalty-free terms.

#GhostOfYotei #GamingCommentary #SamuraiActivist