New Ghost of Yotei Update Is Not as Bad as PlayStation Fans Think

A new update on Ghost of Yotei is making the rounds and garnering negative attention, however, it is not as bad as some PlayStation fans think or are making it out to be. Ghost of Yotei, for those out of the loop, is the upcoming sequel to 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima. It is set to release sometime this year exclusively on the PS5. Despite this, its developer Sucker Punch Productions has only combined with Sony PR to show off the game a single time. To this end, we don’t know a great deal about the PS5 game.

What we do now know, thanks to some eagle-eyed X accounts, is that Sucker Punch has recruited a couple of BioWare writers to work on the PS5 sequel. And given the current state of BioWare, this is alarming news for some. More than this, these writers worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which has proven to be a substantial flop for BioWare and EA. And this was partially, if not mainly, due to the terrible writing of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which attracted substantial attention and criticism before and at release. To this end, a writing credit on Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn’t the best writing credit to have on your resume.

Tapping into this, some have suggested it is not a good sign that these former BioWare writers — John Dombrow and Courtney Woods — are on Ghost of Yotei as writers. How large their contribution is, remains to be seen, but it’s nonetheless drawn attention. That said, there is some context to consider.

While Dombrow worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, his writing was not typically the problem. He was responsible for Davrin, who is a middle-of-the-road character, but the writing around him is fine. Perhaps this is washed out by Dombrow’s work on Mass Effect Andromeda which doesn’t get a pass as easily, however, it’s also important to remember his work on the original Mass Effect trilogy. He contributed heavily to Mass Effect 3, including the Tuchanka arc, as well as the Sur’Kesh and Thessia missions. He also wrote dialogue for Garrus and Javik, and was involved in both the Citadel and Leviathan DLCs. And his credits beyond BioWare also include some impressive work, such as BioShock Infinite’s Burial at Sea. All of this is to say, while Dombrow doesn’t fire at a 100% success rate, he has some serious writing chops and experience.

Woods on the other hand wasn’t at BioWare for the original Mass Effect games nor the original Dragon Age games, not joining on until Inquisition. It is unclear what parts of The Veilguard she recently contributed to, but her parts in Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights — The Wigmaker Job and Eight Little Talons — aren’t remarkable. That said, she’s not responsible for the terrible writing that weighed down parts of The Tevinter Knights and The Veilguard. That largely falls at the feet of other BioWare writers.

On the surface level, this isn’t the best look for Ghost of Yotei and those looking forward to its story, but it is important to look at the specifics and context when weighing up what this may foretell. And while BioWare has been plagued by some terrible writing for the past several years, these two specific writers are not overly responsible for any of it.