Ghost of Tsushima's multiplayer mode getting standalone release

Sony announced today that Ghost of Tsushima’s multiplayer mode Ghost of Tsushima: Legends will soon be available as a standalone game, not just as downloadable content for the 2020 single-player adventure.

It will cost $19.99 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles. Players who decide they want more Ghost of Tsushima in their lives will be able to upgrade to the upcoming director’s cut edition of the game at any time for $40 on PS4, and $50 on PS5.

Legends allows players to team up and pick one of four classes to fight monsters in a supernatural-themed twist on the original game’s enemies. It’s apparently done well enough so far that developer Sucker Punch Studios is releasing the game as a standalone product, adding a new game mode, and will be doing at least one more balancing pass on it, treating it as a live game.

Ghost of Tsushima’s new updates include a game mode called Rivals where players can compete against each other in teams of two while battling waves of monsters; a gear mastery system for Legends’ existing gameplay; and new items and cosmetics for players who’ve engaged with the single-player experience.

This isn’t the first time Sony’s exclusive games have launched standalone content built on their original game’s engine and tech, but to see a studio that’s mainly released single-player games for years spin out a multiplayer product is notable.

It’s also an indicator that Sony is pushing more experimental releases with its prestige products. We’ve seen a few PlayStation originals like Death Stranding and Horizon Zero Dawn make their way over to PC platforms recently, seemingly to leverage interest in these games and drive PC players to possibly invest in PlayStation consoles.