Ghost of Tsushima has been voted as Famitsu’s Game of the Year by Japanese celebrities and developers, making it the publication’s first North American title to win the prestigious award. Sucker Punch Studio’s Feudal Japan-set action game released just a few months ago, instantly getting acclaim from Wester players and critics alike. It made quite a blast in Japan, too, where it continues to be welcomed with open arms.
As a PlayStation exclusive title with a one of a kind setting and art style, the open-world adventure sold like hot cakes in western regions, breaking PlayStation 4 sales records. Intriguingly, Ghost of Tsushima likewise didn’t fail to move the needle in Japan.
Within just days since its release, Famitsu sales data showed Sucker Punch’s latest game had become PlayStation’s bestselling first-party exclusive in Japan. This remarkable achievement made Ghost of Tsushima even more famous at release than Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018, the previous holder of the record. Japanese players weren’t just buying the game in droves, as they obviously enjoyed it, too.
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Each year, Famitsu magazine holds a games survey among Japanese celebrities and developers. This year’s results from the voting came in to unveil that Ghost of Tsushima won the top honor by getting voted as 2020’s Game of the Year.
Overall, 132 votes were counted and as of writing, though, the breakdown of votes aren’t published and are all unknown. This marks the first-ever non-Japanese title to win this priced category, and developer Sucker Punch voiced its humble thanks in a commemorative tweet.
More information should emerge once Famitsu publishes its next magazine issue later this week on December 24. Nonetheless, Sucker Punch faced tight competition and came out on top. In order of the most votes, following Ghost of Tsushima, the runners up are Animal Crossing New Horizons, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, and Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout. Intriguingly, the last few years have seen PlayStation 4 exclusives come out on top, with Death Stranding taking the award back in 2019.
Seeing Ghost of Tsushima receive awards is great. On top of basically giving Assassin’s Creed fans the Feudal Japan-based experience they have been patiently waiting for, it counts among high-quality games to discover the time period in impressive detail.
It is certain to witness the project served as a labor of love from Sucker Punch, too. From the black and white Kurosawa mode and innovative Photo Mode choices to the free post-release multiplayer content and its lack of microtransactions, Ghost of Tsushima appears to be a breath of fresh air.
