Today, Sucker Punch Studios celebrates the five-year anniversary of one of PlayStation’s most prized IPs, Ghost of Tsushima. This open-world samurai game rekindled every gamer’s fantasy of becoming a lone samurai, wandering the fields of Japan, and taking down Mongolian invaders along the way.
But since its launch back in 2020, many players have wondered how the game stacks up against Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise. Some critics even claimed that Ghost of Tsushima was nothing more than a “clone” of Assassin’s Creed, pointing to its dense open world and its focus on stealth and action. This sparked a long-running online debate between fans of both games, with neither side ever really reaching a conclusion.
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+ 3Now, five years later, we have to ask: was it really just another Assassin’s Creed copy, or something entirely its own?
The answer is clear. The Ghost series has made a name for itself in the gaming world, standing on its own rather than being branded as just another Assassin’s Creed lookalike. With over 13 million copies sold worldwide, it’s more than proven that it belongs.
Players found something different in Ghost of Tsushima, a new perspective on how an open-world adventure could feel. The game delivered a focused narrative within a world built with intent and atmosphere.
click to enlarge+ 3One of the long-standing issues with Assassin’s Creed is how bloated it’s become, packed with overwhelming activities and hollow side quests. Even the latest Assassin’s Creed Shadows hasn’t quite nailed the sweet spot for quest density, often feeling like it’s filled with tasks for the sake of keeping players busy.
Ghost of Tsushima, while still an open-world game, keeps things simpler. Jin Sakai’s journey across Tsushima isn’t marked with dozens of question marks scattered on the map. Instead, the game uses nature, like fluttering birds or drifting smoke, to guide the player, creating a deeper sense of immersion that subtly masks its open-world structure.
The Ghost games were never meant to mimic Assassin’s Creed. They were Sony and Sucker Punch’s bold step into building a flagship open-world IP alongside Horizon. The game was designed for players who appreciate the aesthetics and storytelling of classic samurai cinema from directors like Akira Kurosawa and Takashi Miike. On the other hand, Assassin’s Creed has shifted its focus to RPG mechanics and stat progression, alienating long-time fans who once followed Desmond’s story arc, though that’s a discussion for another time.
click to enlarge+ 3Now, with Ghost of Yotei finally on the horizon, the conversation has changed. The roles have reversed. It’s no longer about Ghost being the copy, it’s about how it has raised the bar for open-world design, while Assassin’s Creed continues to follow a formula that feels increasingly mechanical.
What a twist of irony.
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