Ghost of Yotei: Legends is something that a lot of players have been waiting for ever since the base game dropped last year. Ghost of Tsushima introduced its Legends mode a few months after its 2020 release, and it’s still something that attracts a solid number of players. When Legends dropped, I didn’t think that Ghost of Tsushima could be as satisfying outside its story, but I was quickly proven wrong. It kept me and my friends occupied for hours during the COVID pandemic, so Ghost of Yotei: Legends is something I’ve been anticipating.
Now that Legends is here, it’s a reminder of why this kind of multiplayer mode works so well. First off, it’s a free upgrade to the base game. That alone makes it well worth at least giving it a try. The main thought that keeps coming into my mind, though, is that this should be the standard for a lot of developers instead of trying to make live-service games. Sony’s live-service plans have really been hit or miss, and Ghost of Yotei: Legends could be the key to the company being more successful with these goals in the future.
How Ghost of Yotei: Legends Compares to Ghost of Tsushima’s Version
Ghost of Yotei: Legends builds on Tsushima’s co-op foundation with bigger bosses, sharper classes, and deeper ties to its story.
Trying to Chase the Live-Service Dragon Has Brought Forth A Lot of Fatigue and Early Shut-Downs
Sony isn’t the only company that has seemingly been hellbent on crafting a game that could be the next Fortnite. The live-service games market has been saturated for years now, but that hasn’t stopped companies. Sony may just be one of many entities trying to force a fresh live-service game into the pop culture spotlight, but the company has faced some of the most notable development woes when it comes to the genre. Whether it’s an early shutdown or cancellation before ever actually launching, Sony’s live-service ambitions definitely haven’t gone according to plan.
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Major Live-Service Sony Games That Have Either Been Released, Shut Down, Canceled, or Are Still in Development
- Helldivers 2 (Released)
- Marathon (Released)
- Concord (Released, then shut down)
- Fairgame$ (Still in development)
- Horizon Hunters Gathering (Still in development)
- God of War spin-off (Canceled)
- Unnamed project by Bend Studio (Canceled)
- Twisted Metal spin-off (Canceled)
- Spider-Man spin-off (Canceled)
- The Last of Us Online (Canceled)
- Codename Payback (Canceled)
So, Sony has only had success with two of its planned live-service titles. Helldivers 2 has been one of the best demonstrations of how to do live-service, and Marathon‘s launch has also been successful so far. It may not be raking in Helldivers 2 launch numbers, but it’s definitely more successful than Sony’s most notorious live-service failure. Concord‘s shutdown was one of the biggest gaming stories of 2024 when it was shuttered only two weeks after its launch. Beyond Sony, there are plenty of other live-service games that failed to meet expectations.
Other Notable Live-Service Games That Either Shut Down or Ended Post-Launch Support
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (Ended post-launch support)
- Redfall (Ended post-launch support)
- Marvel’s Avengers (Ended post-launch support)
- Babylon’s Fall (Shut down)
- Anthem (Shut down)
- Highguard (Shut down)
Highguard being shut down just recently was another unfortunate example of how oversaturated this genre has become. While Highguard pulled in some impressive numbers at launch, it failed to keep players coming back. That’s the lifeblood of these kinds of games, and it’s more difficult to keep that consistency year after year. With games like Overwatch and Fortnite reigning supreme in these spaces, it takes something truly one-of-a-kind, like Helldivers 2, to really stand out.
Why Ghost of Yotei: Legends Should Be the Multiplayer Blueprint Moving Forward
To bring things specifically back to Sony, the company has built its reputation on fantastic single-player experiences with rich narratives. Some of the best Sony games are titles like Uncharted, The Last of Us, God of War, Horizon, and Marvel’s Spider-Man. Ghost of Yotei and Ghost of Tsushima are easily on that list now, too. The Legends mode simply allows for a multiplayer option without the devastating outcome of causing game shutdowns. In some of these cases, live-service shut-downs and cancellations also lead to studio closures. It’s getting really tiring seeing disappointing stories like the recent news of Bluepoint Studios being shut down. There were several factors that went into the studio’s closure, but it’s important to note that it was working on the God of War live-service spin-off. So, it’s possible that the cancellation of that project helped inform the decision to shut Bluepoint Studios down.
PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst stated in a memo after closing Bluepoint Studios that the company has had to make tough decisions because of “operating in an increasingly challenging industry environment.” It really has been a tricky time for the game industry, but that’s also why focusing so hard on live-service is no longer a good idea. It’s simply too risky, and Sony and other major studios are going to have to pivot.
Multiplayer Modes Like Ghost of Yotei: Legends Can Let Developers Have Their Cake and Eat It, Too
If most developers would just stay focused on well-made single-player games and treated a multiplayer mode as something extra to enjoy instead of the central experience, the loss would not be as drastic if multiplayer didn’t catch on. The Last of Us‘ Factions mode is a great example of this. After so many years, the Factions audience isn’t really there anymore, but everyone can still play The Last of Us. It hasn’t been lost to time just because it couldn’t rack up the hoped-for player count.
This approach also doesn’t mean live-service features aren’t impossible. If a game’s multiplayer mode proves to be a hit, then companies like Sony can easily capitalize on that and add new features and battle passes to monetize some aspects. Live-service game shut-downs are going to continue to happen. Unless a studio is lucky, it just isn’t a sustainable long-term model anymore. Fairgame$ and Horizon Hunters Gathering are going to be big launches for Sony, simply because they could force the company to rethink how multiplayer is approached. Only time will tell, but the future of multiplayer hopefully looks a lot more like Ghost of Yotei: Legends.
- Released
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March 10, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Publisher(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment
