Chad Cannon (left) Bill Hemstapat (right) photo by Justin Fields

It was a tremendous pleasure to reunite with Chad Cannon to compose new music for Iki Island, the new territory included in Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut. Chad and I worked very closely while arranging and orchestrating Shigeru Umebayashi’s “Tsushima Suites” for the game’s original release and really enjoyed that collaboration. As was the case with the original score, we were incredibly fortunate to have some of the best musicians in Japan, China, Nashville, and Los Angeles contribute to these new pieces. Many of these talented individuals are featured in this blog, speaking about their performance and the instruments used on the recordings. We hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the music.  

A deeper dive on Jin Sakai

The story of Iki Island is personal, focusing on a traumatic chapter from Jin Sakai’s past. With this in mind, we wanted to make sure that the music was reflective of the heart and soul of the character, Jin himself.

Ilan Eshkeri wrote an incredibly emotional and iconic theme for Jin. The piece served as a “call to adventure” for the players of the original game to immerse themselves in the world and for Jin to begin his journey towards becoming The Ghost. With the Iki Island story, both Chad and I sensed an opportunity to add a greater dimension to Jin Sakai by exploring different ways of adapting and expanding Ilan’s brilliant theme. 

The result of our exploration is the piece “The Tale of Clan Sakai,” which represents Jin, his father, and other Samurai with the Sakai name. It explores the very heart and soul of the emotional baggage Jin has to carry; not only is he the last samurai on Tsushima, but the last of the entire Sakai clan. 

The piece features the Biwa, an instrument used by Ilan in “Heart of the Jito” in the original game. Although, in this new version of Jin’s theme, we are using the Chikuzen-style Biwa instead of the better-known Satsuma-style Biwa. Chikuzen-Biwa was traditionally performed by Buddhist monks instead of the Samurai. The monks used it for storytelling and ceremony rather than for practicing discipline. 

From Chad:

“Bill and I were super excited to involve a Chikuzen-style Biwa player from Fukuoka named Cyouka Ogata. Ogata Sensei was really happy to be involved in the Tsushima score, having grown up around the Mongol invasion sites. She introduced Bill and me to her instruments over Zoom and then worked with us over a couple of months, sending us samples of her playing different ideas, trying things out, etc. Check out her video! She went and played the Jin Sakai theme on the Hakata beaches, where some of the Mongol fights took place!”

Hi everyone! Sega is excited to reveal all the details of the additional content found in the Digital Deluxe and Digital Ultimate Editions of Lost Judgment, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s upcoming action noir thriller launching September 24!

Quick-Start Support Pack

First up we have the Quick-Start Support Pack. This useful kit comes with all pre-orders and will be available at launch so you can hit the ground running. Inside you’ll find handy health items to assist you in battle while you practice using the new Snake style, as well as some impressive Extract recipes that you can use to create temporary combat buffs. The included Wayfarer’s Lucky Cat not only looks great on display in Yagami’s office, but it’ll also pad your wallet with extra yen the farther you travel in-game. 

Detective Essentials Pack

Pre-order the Digital Deluxe or Digital Ultimate Editions to also receive the Detective Essentials Pack at launch. Fans of the new detective dog pal will be able to “adopt” an additional three colours of shiba inu to choose from: white, black, and rust. 

Retro gaming fans will also be pleased to see four additional Master System games to play. Adding Global Defense, Alien Syndrome, Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa, and Sagaia brings the total up to twelve classic SEGA titles to reminisce over!

This pack even includes the futuristic Hover Drive hoverboard to get around town accompanied by a new outdoor skate park. Just make sure you save your most impressive moves for later as you might want to take one of the three new additional characters on a date that come with the Detective Essentials Pack! 

In the combat department, Yagami will be able to craft six new Extracts that grant temporary boosts with extraordinary abilities such as telekinesis! Additionally, Shin Amon becomes a new opponent in The Gauntlet challenge mode. Test your might!  

School Stories Expansion Pack

Coming October 26 for those who pre-order the Digital Deluxe or Digital Ultimate Edition, the School Stories Expansion Pack enriches your school club experience. Spar with Yagami’s associates—Kaito, Sugiura and Higashi—in the boxing ring, and take a new bike gang motorcycle (including new parts), for a spin on the new race course.

Strut your stuff with a fresh new dance costume, as well as learning some new moves to take your dance team to the top! If you’ve still got some energy left after all that, head over to the Robotics Club where a new Yagami-bot awaits your command.

As if that wasn’t enough, take your newfound boxing talent from the ring to the streets with a fourth fighting style that joins Yagami’s base martial arts styles – Boxing! 

Just a week after we announced Marvel’s Midnight Suns at Gamescom we’re excited to share more details as well as a first look at gameplay. In today’s trailer you get a glimpse at our turn-based tactical combat as well as at a number of other gameplay features that empower you to interact with iconic Marvel characters in ways that you never have before.

Play Video

All of the Marvel characters in Midnight Suns have new looks, but if you’re a Marvel fan I’m sure you recognized most of them right away. One that you won’t be familiar with though is our protagonist, the Hunter, who is an all-new, customizable hero created specifically for this game. Today’s gameplay trailer alludes to the Hunter’s deep backstory, and you can uncover more of it by exploring the grounds of the Abbey, a centuries-old fortress hidden in Salem, Massachusetts that serves as the Midnight Suns’ secret base. 

While spending time at the Abbey between missions you can pay a visit to Tony Stark and Doctor Strange. Between them there’s not much they don’t know about engineering and the supernatural, and with the right resources they can create all manner of upgrades for you and even for the Abbey itself. Forging friendships with members of the Midnight Suns is also an important part of the game. Invite allies to hang out with you and, depending on how they feel about your choice of location or activity as well as your responses during conversations, you can unlock powerful combo abilities and passive bonuses that come into play when you fight alongside them. 

Turn-based tactical battles in Midnight Suns are very different to those in our XCOM games, and not only because you’re controlling a team of superheroes. One of the features that we’re most excited about is the way that we’ve mapped the heroes’ powerful abilities to cards. Being dealt a new hand of these cards every turn forces you to think on your feet, and outside of battles there are opportunities for you to customize each hero’s combat deck. Furthermore, cards can be upgraded and modified to include new effects or create synergies with different heroes. Factor in choosing which heroes you want to take into each mission and the possibilities are endless!

If you were paying close attention to the gameplay trailer you might also have noticed that character positioning and interactive environments have important roles to play during battles. When Wolverine uses his Power Slash attack, its Knockback effect creates an opportunity to cause extra damage to the target provided you’re able to send them careening into something. Better yet, if you cause your target to forcefully collide with another enemy they’ll bo

Relive the excitement from the worlds of Final Fantasy in some of the franchise’s most iconic adventures. Starting next week, we’ll be adding a chapter of this beloved RPG series to PlayStation Now each month, beginning with Final Fantasy VII (the original game!) on September 7. Every month until January 2022, we’ll add another chapter of the Final Fantasy series to PlayStation Now, so you can download or stream these titles on your PS4 or PS5 console, or stream on PC. Take a look at the full lineup below.

Final Fantasy VII | September 7

Mako—the discovery of this natural resource drawn directly from the planet’s life force marked the dawn of a new era, and now the energy sustains the lives of people across the world. However, the Shinra Company has monopolized mako production, and in doing so established a powerful hegemony–its influence reaching the far corners of the globe. 

Cloud, a former member of Shinra’s military organization, SOLDIER, joins the anti-Shinra resistance group AVALANCHE, despite caring little for their motives. During one of the group’s attempts to stop the company, they learn of the return of Sephiroth, Cloud’s nemesis, and that with his reemergence, the planet is in greater danger than anyone had expected. 

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered | October 5

It is a time of war. The Republic of Galbadia, under the influence of the sorceress Edea, mobilizes its great armies against the other nations of the world. Squall and other members of SeeD, an elite mercenary force, join hands with Rinoa, a resistance fighter, to fight against Galbadia’s tyrannical rule and to prevent Edea from fulfilling her ultimate goal.

Final Fantasy IX | November 2

Strange events transpire on the Mist Continent, one of the four main lands of Gaia. The kingdom of Alexandria, ruled by Queen Brahne, begins their invasion of other nations under orders of Kuja, the “angel of death” from Terra. An accidental encounter in Alexandria brings Zidane, Vivi, and Garnet together, and they set out on a journey that leads them to discover the secrets of their past, the crystal, and a place to call home.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster | December 7

First released on PS2, relive two of the greatest RPGs of their generation widely acclaimed for their moving stories, endearing characters, and memorable adventures.

Final Fantasy X takes you to Spira―a world terrorized by the supernatural monster Sin. The temple of Yevon teaches that the monster is a physical manifestation of mankind’s sins, and following the temple’s teachings and atoning could purge it. Yuna, a young woman from Besaid, is a summoner who embarks on a pilgrimage to defeat this terror. Tidus, a young man from another world, joins her as her guardian. The mysteries revolving around Sin unfold as they set off on a journey to save the world.

Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age | January 4, 2022

Enter an era of war within the world of Ivalice. The small kingdom of Dalmasca, conquered by the Archadian Empire, is left in ruin and uncertainty. Princess Ashe, the one and only heir to the throne, devotes herself to the resistance to liberate her country. Vaan, a young man who lost his family in the war, dreams of flying freely in the skies. In a fight for freedom and fallen royalty, join these unlikely allies and their companions as they embark on a heroic adventure to free their homeland.

Horizon Forbidden West is coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles on February 18, 2022! We were ecstatic to finally be able to share the release date with you last week during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live, and to see everyone’s reactions to our news. 

Pre-orders for the game are available now across the globe, so we wanted to share more details about the various editions that you can get your hands on. 

Play Video

Horizon Forbidden West continues six months after the events of Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy, a machine hunter, has travelled west to investigate a mysterious and deadly blight. In these uncharted lands, she will meet strange new tribes and encounter ever more deadly machines. Together with old friends and new companions, she must brave this new frontier to find the answers she needs to save life on Earth.

Now, let’s take a look at the pre-order options you have available for Horizon Forbidden West. By the way, if you pre-order any physical edition from participating retailers (region specific*) or any digital edition anywhere, you will receive the Nora Legacy Outfit and Spear to use in the game. You will be able to redeem these items via PlayStation Store.

The cross-gen Digital Deluxe Edition is exclusively available on PlayStation Store, in addition to Horizon Forbidden West, you’ll receive the following content:

• Horizon Forbidden West (Digital) PS4 and PS5 versions
• 2 Special Outfits (Carja Behemoth Elite and Nora Thunder Elite)
• 2 Special Weapons (Carja Behemoth Short Bow and Nora Thunder Sling)
• In-game Resources Pack including ammunition, potions, and travel packs
• In-game Apex Clawstrider Machine Strike Piece (more on Strike in the FAQ)
• Exclusive Photo Mode pose and face paint
• Digital Art Book
• Digital Soundtrack
• Digital Version of The Sunhawk, the first Horizon Zero Dawn graphic novel

Next up is the Special Edition, a gorgeous SteelBook with a physical disc copy for either PS4 or PS5, which also features the digital so

Horizon Forbidden West is coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles on February 18, 2022! We were ecstatic to finally be able to share the release date with you last week during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live, and to see everyone’s reactions to our news. 

Pre-orders for the game are available now across the globe, so we wanted to share more details about the various editions that you can get your hands on. 

Play Video

Horizon Forbidden West continues six months after the events of Horizon Zero Dawn. Aloy, a machine hunter, has travelled west to investigate a mysterious and deadly blight. In these uncharted lands, she will meet strange new tribes and encounter ever more deadly machines. Together with old friends and new companions, she must brave this new frontier to find the answers she needs to save life on Earth.

Now, let’s take a look at the pre-order options you have available for Horizon Forbidden West. By the way, if you pre-order any physical edition from participating retailers (region specific*) or any digital edition , you will receive the Nora Legacy Outfit and Spear to use in the game. You will be able to redeem these items via PlayStation®Store.

The cross-gen Digital Deluxe Edition is exclusively available on PlayStation Store, in addition to Horizon Forbidden West, you’ll receive the following content:

• Horizon Forbidden West (Digital) PS4 and PS5 versions
• 2 Special Outfits (Carja Behemoth Elite and Nora Thunder Elite)
• 2 Special Weapons (Carja

Hey there, interdimensional travelers!

It’s been an incredible two months since launching Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and we’ve been truly humbled by your kind responses to our game. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was designed as a showpiece for your PS5 console that delivers our signature blend of fun and over-the-top gameplay, all wrapped in a thrilling cinematic package. One way we accomplish this is through animation, so let’s discuss the work our animators did to bring our characters and world to life! 

Our Heroes

It’s no secret we love a hero at Insomniac, and we have quite a few in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Not only does the game star our titular duo, Ratchet and Clank, but it also introduces Rivet, a new Lombax fighting with the resistance, and nanobot hacker Glitch, as playable characters.

Glitch posed an interesting challenge for our animators. Because she’s navigating uneven terrain during her hacking missions, our animators worked closely with programmers on procedural locomotion to make her animations look natural with the environment. When she goes up a wall, her spider legs respond accordingly to the surface.

Introducing Rivet

While the animators had a rich history to reference for Ratchet, Clank, and Dr. Nefarious, we faced a much larger challenge creating a new hero that players would embrace in Rivet. With a powerhouse vocal performance from Jennifer Hale, it was up to animation to match it.

Our animators ran with this challenge and built a facial pose library and model sheet to keep the animation of Rivet intact. This proved especially beneficial as it streamlined our processes by allowing us to quickly snap expressions on Rivet, which let us know very quickly we had an endearing new hero in our franchise.

Personalities

The goal of the animation team is to keep the personality in each character with clear reads for every state. Therefore, we have multiple conditions for our characters in the game. For instance, Goons will celebrate with a selfie if they manage to strike our hero. The Grunthors, who are often asleep, are instantly ready for a fight when approached, which shows their aggressive nature. This applies to non-combative NPCs too: they’ll quiver in fear if they’re in the vicinity of a fight or run away.

Living Worlds

Designing each distinct area with purpose is crucial to our players’ experience, and it has its fair share of challenges.

For example, the parade-goers would be too heavy for rigged characters. As such, they’re made with a vertex animation that manages to plunge players into the world, making them feel like they’re part of the celeb

You’ve been awfully patient, and we thank you for that. And now we’re looking forward to showing you what we’ve been working on.

Tune in next Thursday, September 9 at 1:00pm Pacific Time / 9:00pm BST / 10:00pm CEST for a look into the future of PS5. The Showcase will weigh in at around 40 minutes and include updates from PlayStation Studios and some of the industry’s most imaginative developers, for games releasing this holiday and beyond. And stick around after the presentation to get more updates from some of the studio teams featured in the Showcase.

One thing to note: PlayStation’s next generation of VR won’t make an appearance this time. But there will still be plenty of great PS5 games from developers large and small. We hope you can join us!

You can watch live on YouTube and Twitch. See you next Thursday!