You've been logged out of GDC Vault since the maximum users allowed for this account has been reached. To access Members Only content on GDC Vault, please log out of GDC Vault from the computer which last accessed this account.

Click here to find out about GDC Vault Membership options for more users.

close
Session Name: Clues and Camping in 'Ghost of Ytei': Curating Guided Exploration Through a Non-Linear Open World
Speaker(s): Samuel Holley
Company Name(s): Sucker Punch Productions
Track / Format: Design
Overview: Ghost of Yotei wants players to wander, with a huge world of parallel choices, hidden corners, and non-linear narrative. But it also wants to be approachable, with an emotional story at its center. Player freedom risks both: players could become lost, overwhelmed, or disconnected from the story. Worse, wander the wrong way and they could miss something critical to enjoying the game (such as new weapons or health-increasing hot springs).To resolve these competing goals, a hidden system called the Event Deck brings narrative moments and guiding nudges to the player wherever they are, however they play. Like a good Dungeon Master, it adapts a linear plan to each player's non-linear journey, to ensure they have a good time.This talk will explain how the Event Deck works, and its benefits -- empowering player choice while making the world feel alive and connected, blurring the lines between story and side content.

Game Developers Conference 2026

Samuel Holley

Sucker Punch Productions

free content

Design

Design

Narrative & Performance

Game Narrative