Ghost of Yotei star Erika Ishii has explained why Blue Prince is their Game of the Year pick over the game they're leading, and it actually makes a lot of sense.
Now that the year is almost over for good, everyone in gaming has shared their picks for the game of the year. While Clair Obscur has dominated the conversation for quite some time (and even won the crown at The Game Awards), there are plenty of great games that have gotten a lot of love as well.
Of course, there are also plenty of 2025 titles that didn't quite get the attention they deserve. One such game is Ghost of Yotei which, despite receiving rave reviews, didn't have much of a presence in the GOTY conversations. Yotei was even overshadowed by the game's star, Erika Ishii, who specifically chose Blue Prince as her Game of the Year when asked at Golden Joysticks.
Erika Ishii explains why they didn't choose Ghost Of Yotei as their GOTY
“I will not pick my game!”
Given how passionate Ishii has been with his role as Atsu in Yotei, it came as a surprise when they didn't pick it as their ultimate game of the year. But as it turns out, the reasoning behind Ishii's choice is actually more than fair, as they explained in Game Rant's opening episode of Character Select.
In the episode, Naomi asks Kyle Ishii about why they chose Blue Prince as their game of the year pick over Ghost of Yotei. Ishii responded by explaining that when someone is the “face” of a video game, they can't really pick that game as their Game of the Year and be taken seriously, which is part of the reason why Ishii didn't.
Even though Ishii decided to “give it up” for a smaller game that they are not involved in, they still have a ton of love for Yotei, describing it as their “game of my life”. As for why Blue Prince in particular was chosen as their game of the year in an “all-bangers” year, Ishii notes that it has come closest to scratching the same itch as Return of the Obra Dinn and is “why we make games”.
That's why we make games. You couldn't tell this story or do these things or feel this way in any other medium. – Erica Ishii
With so many hugely loved games like Clair and Hades 2, Ishii wanted to highlight Blue Prince as a smash game that probably flew under many people's radar. As much as I would love to see Ghost of Yotei get more love, Ishii's explanation is a good one that shows their love for both the gaming industry and the medium as a whole.
Ghost of Yotei
4.0/5
- Released
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October 2, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol
- Publisher
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Sony Interactive Entertainment
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