It’s been amazing to watch the response to Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition, from photo mode shots to Echoes of Sekigahara* reactions to flawless fights against Nobushige and beyond. But some of our favorite videos we’ve seen since launch feature Jin Sakai in Most Wanted*, and we’ve loved watching people tear through bounties as the returning Ghost of Tsushima.

With all of these great new moments featuring Jin, we wanted to dive into a little bit of the process behind bringing him back for Ghost of Yōtei, including all the tiny details that help make him feel like himself. Here’s some insight from some members of our team who helped bring him back to life.

How Most Wanted opened the door for Jin’s return

With Most Wanted our goal was to create a new way to experience Ghost of Yotei’s combat. We were excited to focus on challenge and mastery in a highly replayable format.

We wanted to give players new opportunities to grow stronger and master specific forms of combat, building on the foundation established in the main campaign. Very quickly the idea of a class-based, roguelike model emerged as a path to achieve these goals and as an opportunity to experience combat from perspectives other than only Atsu.

As the team got excited about the idea, plenty of production and logistical questions emerged about what would be possible. We thought Jin Sakai would fit perfectly in this mode, but we wanted to make sure we could deliver an experience that was authentic to his character. During the initial prototyping of Most Wanted, we started with other characters to prove out the idea and get a better understanding of what would be necessary to bring Jin back.

After an early playtest with Jin, I had a conversation with our Lead Combat Designer, Ted Fishman. The joy of playing with Jin again was undeniable, but something had become clearly apparent to Ted. There wasn’t a partial implementation that would deliver the fantasy of playing as Jin. No, if we were to push forward, we had to bring back all of Jin.

Grand Theft Auto VI launches November 19 on PlayStation 5, with pre-download available starting November 10. Whether you’re returning to the series or jumping in for the first time, here are a few key steps you can take now to prepare for launch day.

Step 1: Set up your PlayStation account

Make sure your PlayStation account is ready to go before launch.

If you’re new to PlayStation, create an account and sign in on your console. Existing players should confirm their sign-in information and account details are up to date.

How to set up your PlayStation account

Step 2: Pre-order Grand Theft Auto VI

Pre-order Grand Theft Auto VI through PlayStation Store or participating retailers to ensure you’re ready to play as soon as the game becomes available on November 19. Pre-order the Grand Theft Auto VI: Ultimate Edition to receive an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story.

Visit the PlayStation Store product page for available editions, pricing, and additional details.

Pre-order Grand Theft Auto VI

Step 3: Get ready to pre-download

Pre-download timing will be available to those who pre-order starting at November 10 local midnight. Get ready by clearing a minimum of 212GB of storage space on your PS5. You can also explore options to extend your PS5 storage ahead of GTAVI.

Downloading the game before release means you’ll be ready to jump in as soon as it becomes available. Stay tuned for additional details later this year.

Step 4: Complete your PS5 setup

Players looking to personalize their experience can explore accessories including the DualSense Edge wireless controller, PlayStation Pulse wireless headset, Pulse Elevate Wireless speakers and other PlayStation 5 products.

Learn more about the available PlayStation accessories and find the setup that works best for you.

Explore PS5 accessories

Stay tuned for more

We’ll have more information on Grand Theft Auto VI as we get closer to November 19.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Year Two is officially launching later today, with more racers, more vehicles, and more courses joining the ever-growing universe of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

In addition, Year Two brings several significant additions to the game, enhancing the already exhilarating experience with more ways to play with friends, gameplay updates to deepen the experience, and new gadgets to master.

We sat down with the development team of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds to get some behind the scenes details about the road to Year Two.

In Year Two, several new features have been added to further expand the ways players can enjoy CrossWorlds, including Duel Mode, new Gadgets, and the Super Slot. How did the team approach designing these additions?

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds dev team: One of the core appeals of CrossWorlds is the ability to discover your own play style and refine how you race as you continue to play and gain experience. For Year Two, our goal was to expand those possibilities even further.

For example, Duel Mode was created to offer a different experience from the standard 12-player races by focusing on the unique strategy that comes with one-on-one competition. By letting players focus on their distance from their opponent and how they use items, races can unfold in entirely different ways.

Gadgets are another feature that allows players to experiment and discover combinations that best suit their personal play style. In Year Two, we’re introducing the Super Slot, a dedicated slot for one-slot Gadgets. The Gadget placed in that slot will have its effects enhanced, opening up even more possibilities for combinations and strategies.

New strategies emerge from both the race rules and the choices players make with customization. With Year Two, we aimed to create a game that continues to offer new discoveries every time you play.

Some eagle-eyed fans might have noticed that one of our bonus exclusives for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Year Two Digital Deluxe Edition and Season Pass Two first appeared online as an April Fool’s joke… and they’re right!

The Sega Consoles Pack, featuring three vehicles inspired by Sega’s historic consoles, make their debut in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. But turning a video game console into a racing vehicle is no easy feat. We decided to dive in a bit more with the dev team on how they chose to design the vehicles while maintaining the iconic consoles’ identities.

The Sega Consoles Pack features vehicles inspired by classic Sega hardware. What design choices did the team make to evoke a sense of nostalgia?

We incorporated design elements that instantly remind players of each console, such as their colors, shapes, and button layouts. The Dreamcast’s rounded form and distinctive color scheme, as well as the Genesis and Sega Sa

Attention, Helldivers.

The Ministry of Truth confirms that a new Terminid strain is skittering across the front lines. Designated the Noxious strain, these menaces are fast, venomous, and fundamentally opposed to Managed Democracy.

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This year, PlayStation’s Black Friday Deals kick off early on PlayStation Store! Starting tomorrow, Wednesday November 4, you’ll find deep discounts up to 75% off*, across thousands of PS5, PS4 and PS VR2 games, expansions, and DLC. 

Below is a small preview of just some of the titles that will be discounted as part of the sale, which runs through to Monday, November 30*. Their discounts, as well as the full list of games included in the promotion, will be revealed on PlayStation Store when the Black Friday Deals begin, so be sure to visit the PlayStation Store page here when the sale goes live to discover the range of games and your regional discounts.