Stunning Sales: Ghost of Yotei Shrugs Off Boycott
Boycott Fails as Ghost of Yotei Debuts ‘Great’
A vocal group of social media users predicted failure for the Ghost of Yotei sequel. However, the Sucker Punch title has instead achieved “great” sales success. This information comes from Circana analyst Mat Piscatella’s September 2025 sales data. A small, vocal minority had called for a boycott. Their issues centered on the game’s heroine. They also cited past internal drama at the PlayStation studio. Ultimately, any potential boycott failed to impact commercial performance significantly.
The game debuted at number four on Circana’s physical and digital software sales charts. This debut was for the month of September. This is a very strong showing. The sales data for Ghost of Yotei includes only a few days of tracking. Its official launch was on October 2. Therefore, the strong ranking is based largely on pre-orders and just a fraction of its total initial sales.
Analyst Mat Piscatella noted a key metric. Ghost of Yotei‘s sales performance is consistent with its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima. This is a highly positive result for the PS5 exclusive. The original game launched on the much larger PlayStation 4 install base. It also launched during the COVID-19 pandemic’s height. At that time, the video game industry experienced a massive sales boom. Matching that performance, despite the smaller PS5 user base and boycott calls, indicates a major success for Sony.
September 2025 USA Top Five
Overall US spending on video game hardware, software, and accessories increased 10 percent year over year. The top five best selling premium games for September 2025 were dominated by major new releases and annual sports titles:
- 1. Borderlands 4
- 2. NBA 2K26
- 3. EA Sports FC 26
- 4. Ghost of Yotei
- 5. Madden NFL 2
The new Nintendo Switch 2 was the bestselling hardware for the month. The PlayStation 5 followed in the second spot.
A great game defeats controversy every time. This Is Game SEA is tracking the next big one.
Ghost of Yōtei was first announced in 2024, and the arrival of the sequel will open up a new experience for fans with new characters, an engaging story, and a new region of Japan to explore to their heart’s content. The story takes place 300 years after the critically acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima. The game is a standalone experience set in the Japanese countryside during the 1600s. Atsu wants revenge and she travels through the beautiful and difficult landscapes of northern Japan, hunting down the man who killed her family years ago.
