Welcome to Urgent Fury

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Sid, Kristen, and Brett are back this week to discuss their top games of 2025, both in terms of hours played and the ones they can’t stop thinking about. This episode also includes a spoiler-filled Ghost of Yōtei interview with Sucker Punch Creative Directors Jason Connell and Nate Fox. Stuff We Talked About Holiday Cards 2025 — Celebrate the holidays with festive cards from our studio friends and developers. See if you can find your favorite characters getting into some yuletide shenanigans. Marathon new features and updates — Get detailed information on all the changes and updates made to Marathon ahead of its March 2026 release. Extract all the data and be prepared to run as a squad or solo. Saros developers reflect on Story Trailer — The Housemarque team breaks down the new story trailer, going over the emotional throughlines of the title, working with seasoned actors to bring the vision to life, and more. Helldivers 2 update —.Blast into some mandatory holiday cheer with the Festival of Reckoning on December 18. Enjoy limited-time access to a host of stratagems and other themed goodies. PlayStation Blog GOTY 2025 Winners — The votes are in, and it’s time to see what the community’s top picks are for 2025. The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Kristen Zitani – Globlal Content Content Communications Manager, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Last week, we asked you take off and share your best moments in Microsoft Flight Simulator using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here’s this week’s highlights: Akkan_Vader shares a birdseye view of their plane above a sprawling city TheSkinnyRage shares their plane taking off into the night Akkan_Vader shares their plane on the tarmac ready to take off Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image THEME: Share of the Year SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on January 7, 2026 We’re wrapping up an incredible year in gaming. Share your best shots taken in games from 2025 using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured in Share of the Year! View the full article

Unforgettable stories and characters, outrageous combat, and some hilarious mini-games – the acclaimed Yakuza / Like a Dragon series has a massive following for all the right reasons. With Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties’ launching on PlayStation 5 February 12 next year – and to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary, with the first game Yakuza launching on PS2 20 years ago this month – it’s only fitting to mark the moment with some of the developers who know these hard-hitting titles best. So we sat down with Executive Producer Masayoshi Yokoyama, Chief Director Ryosuke Horii, and Chief Producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto to talk about their thoughts on the series’ 20th anniversary, its journey so far, and the upcoming Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. Play Video How is the studio celebrating the milestone? Yokoyama: We envisioned the 20th anniversary to be similar to a ‘coming of age,’ reflecting on the history of Like a Dragon as one might look back on the years from birth to adulthood. We have various events and special footage planned that celebrate this journey, and in addition to the currently running ‘The Four Ceremonies of Life Exhibition’ in Tokyo, more initiatives are scheduled to roll out beyond December 8. We hope to continue celebrating with fans until December 7 of next year, so that the series will remain in the hearts of many for years to come. When you compare how the series and the studio are now to when the franchise began, what are the things you’re most proud of? Yokoyama: Maybe people can finally say they enjoy the Like a Dragon series more openly (laughs). In the past, it wasn’t something you could really say out loud; its reputation and brand image made it hard to talk about publicly. Back in the early days, even some of the studio developers kept their involvement a secret from their parents or girlfriends. But about ten years in, more staff began proudly acknowledging their work on the series. There was even a case where being part of the project helped someone gain approval for marriage from their partner’s parents. That’s when it really sank in how much the series’ presence and perception in the world had evolved. Now that RGG Studio is growing into a recognized brand, we want to continue nurturing it with care so that it remains something our staff, partners, cast and fans can all be proud of. Play Video The series has evolved drastically since 2005, how would you say other modern releases have impacted your development approach? Would you say you always do your own thing, or are you influenced by current trends? Yokoyama: I don’t consciously chase trends, but my environment today is vastly different from what it was 20 years ago, so my creative approach has naturally evolved. A major reflection of that change is our growing exposure to global culture. With the rise of streaming platforms like YouTube and Netflix, we now encounter diverse cultures from around the world on a daily basis. This was unimaginable when the series first began in 2005. Back then, our development studio was about 90% male and almost entirely Japanese. Today, more than 10% of our team members are from abroad, and the gender ratio is nearly an even 50:50. We went through a dramatic transformation in the past two decades, and I believe this evolving environment has naturally influenced our creative output. Looking ahead, we’ll continue to embrace these changes, trust in who we are now, and keep creating in our own way. Play Video You’ve also earned quite the reputation for turning around games very quickly, with a very consistent release schedule – how do you maintain such a development pace and keep the quality so high? Sakamoto: I believe this is thanks to the workflow we’ve perfected over many years of working on the series. Our team takes pride in refining quality while eliminating unnecessary tasks and consistently pursuing the most efficient approach to development. This strong awareness of quality, scale, time, and cost makes our achievements possible. Yakuza/Like a Dragon games have become quite renowned for changing with the times, mostly taking place in their year of release – have there been titles in which that’s proved a challenge, or perhaps even advantageous? Sakamoto: Entertainment districts like Kamurocho have changed drastically over the past 20 years. So, when working on the mainline titles set in the present day, we need to research the current landscape, which presents its own challenges. On the other hand, spin-off titles have more freedom since they allow for a certain level of creative freedom. Play Video Since Y7 effectively passed the baton to Ichiban, were you surprised the audience liked him so much? Shifting away from Kiryu as the series’ main protagonist must have been a little nerve-wracking. Sakamoto: Personally, I was never worried. I trusted that by the time players reached the end of the story, they’d grow to like Ichiban. The same goes for characters from past titles; if players can truly connect with the characters’ personalities, anyone can take the lead. That’s the kind of strength this series has. There’ve been some amazing minigames across the series. What’s the creative process for those? Horii: The heart of the Like a Dragon series lies in its drama, so every project begins by defining the story’s concept and choosing the setting that works best for it. From there, we craft side content that aligns with both the theme and the concept of the game. For instance, in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Kasuga’s theme revolved around ‘rising to the top,’ which led us to develop the business management feature. In Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the Hawaiian setting inspired the ‘Dondoko Island’ resort-building minigame. Each piece of content is designed to deepen the player’s immersion in the story and setting, and that is at the core of our creative process. Practically speaking, we start by presenting the concept to the minigame development team, such as outlining the experience we want to deliver and the nuances we hope to capture. From there, the team goes through weekly cycles of trial and error. The most important thing is preserving the signature Like a Dragon humor. Whether it’s turning an ‘apology’ into a finishing move during a shareholders’ meeting or letting players build multiple cabarets on Dondoko Island, we put great care into capturing those playful, humorous moments and making sure every detail lands just right. Play Video The series has featured some seminal arcade titles within its Club Sega recreations – how early does the conversation in picking which titles should feature in a game’s arcade begin during development? Horii: Our studio’s technical director, Itō, is well versed in retro games, so he leads the discussions on the lineup. Since we’re dealing with older titles, it’s not as simple as including whatever we want. Each game comes with its own unique challenges, whether that’s the difficulty of porting, licensing concerns, or other technical hurdles. Taking all of that into account, we select games that we love, that are feasible within our timeframe and technical limits, and that we genuinely want today’s players to experience. Many of us, myself included, are passionate about retro games, so our biggest priority is choosing titles that are crafted with care, and those we truly respect and want to play again. Play Video Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is billed as an “extreme” remake of the original, plus all-new content. What has shaped the decisions to so extensively retool the title, and do you feel that’s the ideal approach for any future adaptations of past works? Yokoyama: For now, we haven’t made any concrete decisions about remaking additional past titles. At RGG Studio, our ongoing mission is to create games that are fun to play in the present moment. Our philosophy, ‘do whatever it takes to make it happen,’ will continue to guide us moving forward. That same mindset is reflected in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. These titles also feature significant elements that point toward the series’ future direction, so we hope fans who have already played Yakuza 3 will give it a try as well. What can players of the original Yakuza 3 look forward to in Kiwami 3 – how is it different? Similarly, what can players new to the franchise expect? Horii: The changes and evolution in Kiwami 3 as a game go far beyond what most people might imagine compared to the original Yakuza 3. While the core story remains the same, we’ve added many new cut scenes, characters, and voice lines. With the addition of major side content like ‘Life at Morning Glory’ and ‘Legendary Baddie, Bad Boy Dragon,’ the game’s overall design, pacing, and structure have been completely reworked. It’s a title that truly stands on its own as a brand-new release from RGG Studio. Whether you’re experiencing it for the first time or returning after playing the original, you’ll find a fresh and exciting experience that feels entirely new. Can players brand-new to Like a Dragon games enjoy Kiwami 3’s story without knowledge of the wider series? Horii: Absolutely. There’s a story recap feature for previous titles, and the game is designed so that even newcomers can jump right in, so we’d be delighted if new players gave it a try. That said, playing the earlier games will help you connect more deeply with the characters and story, so if you have time before the release of Kiwami 3, we’d love for players to play Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1, and Kiwami 2 as well. Play Video What are your thoughts and future goals as you celebrate the 20th anniversary? Horii: I never imagined the series would continue for 20 years, nor that I would end up spending nearly half my life making Like a Dragon. Each entry in the series, I’ve poured everything into it, thinking that it could be the last one, without worrying about what comes next. Looking back, I think that approach has served me well. All forms of entertainment will come to an end someday. I don’t know when that will be, but I have no intention of simply wishing for the series to continue. I’d rather stick to a forward-looking mindset that even if it were to be the last one, I’d have no regrets. From here on, we’ll keep moving forward in our own way, fuelled by our love for the characters and deep pride in our craft. Sakamoto: It’s hard to believe it’s already been 20 years. We’ve devoted ourselves completely to each game, so there’s been almost no time to reflect on the past. To push the Like a Dragon IP even further, we need to keep evolving and embracing new challenges in the years ahead. Yokoyama: To be honest, I don’t feel particularly sentimental about it. For the past 20 years, my focus has always been on looking ahead and creating games every day, so I rarely find myself reflecting on the past. That said, through the events celebrating the series’ 20th anniversary, I had a rare opportunity to look back on the history of Like a Dragon, almost from the same perspective as our fans. It gave me a renewed appreciation for the lasting appeal of the series. I hope to carry the lessons and emotions I’ve gained from that reflection and channel them into creating something exciting moving forward. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties hits PS5 on February 12 so there’s not long to wait before you can reclaim these mean streets. But if you’re itching for action right now, join the crew via PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, where you can enjoy a selection from the series, including Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name*. *Available on PlayStation Plus Game Catalog at time of publish. View the full article

Where to start? It’s a familiar mantra to those of us who have ridden into the lavish landscapes of Ghost of Yōtei’s Ezo. With a rediscovered home behind, and a world filled with revenge, myths and secrets ahead, it’s proven a wonderful dilemma to have. And every corner explored, each tale told, and duel won leading to further questions, one of which kept recurring throughout: how did this all come together? To answer, we reached out to ask two people who can speak to Ezo’s secrets best: the game’s creative directors Jason Connell and Nate Fox. Sitting down with them, and a whole game to unpack, came the now-familiar refrain: where to start? The answer to that: begin at the end. A word of warning then: this interview strays deep into spoiler territory. First, mark every member of the Yotei Six off your list, and discover every hidden corner of Ezo. The following chat charts game design choices, key side missions, the game’s conclusion and more. Spoilers below Note: This version of the interview is condensed for clarity and brevity. The full conversation will be available on PlayStation Podcast later today. PlayStation Blog: The game’s final duel is a battle with Lord Saito. It really feels like it’s all been leading up to this moment, not just for Atsu, but also the player and that Saito throws practically every challenge you’ve learned to face at you in one single duel. Can you tell us a bit about how you approach the mechanics of this fight? Jason Connell: We wanted the ending to be an emotional moment, one that brought together all of her journey of overcoming trauma. And it’s both about kind of figuring out that there’s something better to live for, but also to kind of celebrate the ways that the player has, through their efforts, kind of improved Atsu, made her more capable. And in Ghost of Yotei, that’s about mastering weapons, becoming more confident, more capable. And so, Saito himself will attack you with every weapon that you will need to counter with weapons that you’ve learned throughout your journey. This is a chance to celebrate your mastery and understand how to counter and deal with that. Ultimately, in the final battle, where it’s Katana versus Katana, it’s bringing it back down to that simple sword that your father forged in celebration of his two children, and that’s the weapon that you finished the battle with. The Storm Blade story. It’s a fascinating one in so much that it reveals the fate of Jin Sakai. Can you tell us about how you approach the creation of this mission? Is there any concern about talking about the protagonist of the previous title in Ghost of Yotei, or confirming a relatively sad end to such a beloved character? Nate Fox: I would say about a year or two into production, we had some ideas of where that might be and how we might be able to honor that character. We always knew it was going to happen. But then when we started placing it in the world, we just found this wonderful spot that really felt like it could be his spot, you know, and we could celebrate all aspects, whether it’s the tree or the Pampas grass or the or the Suzuki grass or the blade. Things you identify with his story and his legacy, and make it like a shrine / mission for him. We wanted it to be in the right spot in the game. Like if you come out right out the gate, and it’s right there on your right, that doesn’t seem right. That doesn’t seem like it’s fitting. But putting it in the appropriate time space where you’ve sat with this game well enough, and you understand what this game is, and when you find it, it’s a gem, especially if you were a fan of the previous game. And getting the timing right was it was a big part of that too. Was the intent always to make Takezo The Unrivaled the hardest encounter in the game. Or would you designate that as the hardest encounter in the game? I’m curious to know if the studio defeated him on Lethal difficulty, and how quickly you defeated him on that setting. Jason Connell: Takezo was not in anyone’s plans at the beginning of the game. It was a great idea, put forward by one of the folks who makes missions, that we would keep to Takezo as a sort of ultimate battle after you’d finished the Atsu’s journey. And I couldn’t be happier that it represents this, you know, the hardest challenge in the entire game. In the most epic location. Our combat team set it to what many of us thought was impossible, until I saw one of the gameplay coders effortlessly beat it without all the upgrades. He said that he got it on his fourth try. Now, these people have been playing the game, programming the combat, for years! So that’s what you’re up against, if you’re having a hard time and you think this is impossible. The way to get better is just to simply make the game for many years and work in the combat team, and then suddenly it will all be easier. So past the intro encounter with The Snake, the game’s designed to let you choose which of the Yōtei Six to hunt and in what order. This can shape your play style, such as The Kitsune path expanding your stealth options, or bring a deeper connection with the world, like the Oni’s, leading you to encounter Jubei. How do you design the game to accommodate those different play styles that result? Jason Connell: Well, when we set out to make this game, when it was just Nate and I, you know, dreaming up what it would be, something we talked about was just really leaning into what we saw fans really love about playing in the open world, having the freedom to kind of sort of do what they want to do. So from the very beginning, we were like, okay, let’s go real hard at this. Let’s invest in design and tech that allows us to give a little bit more freedom, even from the beginning. And so that has wrinkles, you know, it can get challenging to tell a really solid story that needs a beginning, middle and end. So some of our first stabs at this were way too open, right? Like, you can just go after any of the Six. And in that process, Nate pointed out, like, how hard that might be to have that beginning, middle and end, and we need that, because that’s Atsu’s story: that’s the structure. Really early on, you definitely get this kind of choice. It’s not just a narrative choice. We added weight to that, by giving it a mechanical sort of choice. If you like role playing, if you like being a stealth- like character, or you like playing games that have ninja-like abilities, then you know, this area up here might be more for you. Or maybe you’re intrigued by this over here, which has got more of a traditional big castle and some cool fire weapons and a spear, and we kind of hint you with a little bit of it. So if it’s not just the story that motivates you, or that you’re intrigued by that narrative seed that we’re giving you, maybe it’ll be sort of the mechanics, and we’re giving you a number of ways you might be able to be influenced to make an informed decision. Briefly talking about weapons, the Sensei quests clearly indicate which weapons they’ll unlock from the start, but the conditions to unlock the rifle and gun in comparison isn’t as obvious. Why was that? Jason Connell: Well, we knew that the hand to hand weapons were a great source of pleasure for players. They loved getting them. They loved mastering them, and it adds a lot of diversity to your experience of fighting enemies. And that combat, the lethal precision inside of the game, is something that is sort of dead center of the experience. So we wanted to make sure players knew that they were out there and make it pretty easy to find them, because they’re such a driver of joy in the game. Range weapons are not as core. So the firearms, we didn’t want to make them totally apparent where to go, so that you would have some of the pleasure of discovering them for yourself, whereas the melee weapons we knew were just too important to let anyone miss out on. They are optional, so you could miss out on them, but we didn’t want just sort of missing their presence to be the issue. We wanted to be a choice on the player’s part to say, I don’t want to bother with that. There are some wonderful smaller encounters in the game, such as the guy who disappears – poorly, I will say – in a haze of smoke bombs… or the fight with a ronin that, I think he’s labeled as “Irritating Ronin”, that elicits an angry response from Atsu once she’s defeated him. Can you touch upon how these came about? Nate Fox: Just really early on we had people that would work on the main story, then we have people fleshing out the world. Some of those smaller bits just come from, “hey, how would people operate in this place?” How can we give this place a little bit of personality that you might be intrigued and interested to hear about these people. They’re just flavors in the world. Which, you know, honestly, we didn’t have a ton of time to do in the last game. So it was nice to be able to sort of try some of those unique flavors early on. That smoke bomb guy might have been one of the very first ones that we created in the game. We went through a bunch of iteration to make him who he is, but that might have been the first six months of the project. And I’m happy to see some of those make it through to the end, because there’s plenty that do not [laughs]. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image It is a beautiful world. There are numerous moments in which, say, a cliff climb or turning the road leads to a picturesque scene that is worth photographing. How intensive was it to get those moments to hit the sweet spot? Did it mean the immediate environment, how to be continually reshaped, to have the camera angles hit just right? Nate Fox: One of the challenges of making an open world that’s as big as this and also trying to make a game that is artistically powerful and potent, that people step in the world and they feel the weight of the art… That is super hard to do. The fact that we cannot control what you’re looking at makes it tremendously harder, right? Like, we have no idea where you’re looking. We have no idea what you’re doing. We have a clock that kind of moves when you’re in the open world. So we don’t know if you’re in day or night. Certainly, in some cases, we’ve specifically put you in areas where special times of day exist, like the Spider Lily mission. But it is such a testament to the environment art team to be able to construct an environment with such beauty that no matter if I look that way, or that way, whether it’s daytime or it’s night time, shockingly, looks pretty good. That is very hard to do. Open World visual design: incredibly hard. Now they definitely know that you’re going to be coming up over this ledge during a Shrine climb. You’re going to be coming up over this ledge, and they might position those rocks to be, and that shrine, to look to the point where you know you’re going to be looking generally in this direction. They’ll definitely do that. And they do a wonderful job constructing what they think that you’ll do. But because we don’t know, we have to get a couple things right. We have to get the atmosphere right. We have to get lighting right. We have to get color. The pacing of the visual noise, and how much noise you have on the screen. All these things are just constructed in the open world DNA of the visual design. And we hope that we can guide you to areas where it just kind of puts a magnifying glass on that and makes it, you know, really pop in those moments. A very few amount of people on the team really get to contribute exactly to this, and I think they do a wonderful job bringing it to life. If you want more Ghost of Yōtei, New Game Plus is available as a game update, while cooperative multiplayer DLC Ghost of Yōtei Legends launches in 2026. View the full article

Hello, Proxies! Greetings from the Zenless Zone Zero dev team. I’m Zhenyu Li, the producer of Zenless Zone Zero. As our exploration of Waifei Peninsula deepens, the culminating chapter of Season 2 finally sheds light on long-buried secrets. I am excited to share that Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.5 “To Be Fuel for the Night” will arrive on December 30, bringing abundant content, optimizations, and rewards. Unraveling the secrets hidden within the Hollow’s expansion During past battles, the legendary Qingming Sword resonated strangely deep within the Lemnian Hollow, implying its primordial power has a profound connection to the Hollow. After borrowing this strength to overcome formidable foes, Ye Shunguang now faces the inevitable cost of wielding such extraordinary power. Meanwhile, mysterious white flowers — previously seen only within the Hollows — have begun blooming in Failume Heights, casting a foreboding shadow over the district. Amid the rising tension, Zhao of the Krampus Compliance Authority arrives with alarming news: the Lemnian Hollow has expanded. Proxies will join Ye Shunguang and Zhao to venture into the ruins of the Lumite Mine to investigate anomalies, delve deeper into the conspiracy of the Exaltists, and face the ultimate battle in Waifei Peninsula. Rise of Void Hunter Ye Shunguang After forging countless cherished memories with Ye Shunguang and fighting alongside her to awaken Ye Shiyuan, Proxies will once again join forces with this young senior disciple of Yunkui Summit. As the game’s first dual-form Void Hunter, Ye Shunguang, an S-Rank Honed Edge Attack Agent, can unleash fluid strikes and explosive burst phases with the Qingming Sword, delivering intimidating attacks that can make a significant impact in intense battles. A familiar Agent accompanying us on this adventure is Zhao. Despite her adorable appearance, Zhao holds the legacy of the unbeaten legend of Krampus Compliance Authority. As an S-Rank Ice Defense Agent, Zhao will bring immense power to the battlefield and provide crucial support to Ye Shunguang. Enhanced experience with a multitude of events and optimizations With rich events and ongoing optimizations, Version 2.5 brings enhanced game experiences and a more vibrant Proxy Outpost community feature. The long-awaited multiplayer combat is coming in the form of the limited-time event Joint Investigation: The Divine Maze. Players can form three-member squads to tackle cooperative challenges, putting their teamwork and coordination to the test in dynamic combat encounters. In addition to upgrades to Shiyu Defense and Deadly Assault, a new addition, the Proxy Outpost, will help to foster community interaction. Through the in-game forum, Proxies can create or join interest-based outposts to share passions, post commissions, and accept tasks. At the same time, a new quick-sweep function will be introduced to Combat Simulation, allowing players to use Ether Batteries to quickly obtain agent promotion materials and Drive Discs. Altogether, these free up time for relaxation and leisure in New Eridu. The enhanced experience also extends to our valuable companions in the Hollows. To allow our previous Agent friends to better adapt to the harsher battlefield, we will gradually enhance all agents in the permanent Stable Channel in the near future. In Version 2.5, agents including Soldier 0 – Anby, Ellen, Soldier 11, Grace, and Burnice will be the first to receive refinements to their combat mechanics and performance boosts, marking the second wave of enhancements for Soldier 0 – Anby and Ellen. Ring in the new year with exclusive rewards To embrace the upcoming new year, Zenless Zone Zero is gearing up to welcome both new and returning Proxies. All players can dive directly into the intriguing story of Version 2.5 through the Advance Screening function, claim a free S-Rank Agent Zhao and agent promotion materials, and obtain Jane Doe’s new outfit through the Today’s Outfit section of the Store. In addition, to celebrate Zenless Zone Zero winning the Grand Award at the PlayStation Partner Awards 2025, an additional 1,000 Polychromes will be distributed as a token of appreciation for all Proxies’ support. The expansion of the Lemnian Hollow and the emergence of the mysterious white flowers signal a pivotal moment in the story of New Eridu. With powerful new allies, adrenaline-fueled co-op combat, and community-driven features, Version 2.5 invites you to embark on this thrilling adventure with us. Thank you for your unwavering support. We look forward to sharing this new chapter with you on December 30, and wish you all the best in 2026! View the full article