Producer Yosuke Hayashi also discusses creating an open-world title and how it was “a natural next step” for the developer.

With the hype surrounding Team Ninja’s Rise of the Ronin, whether it’s the decisions impacting the story or the large open world, one has to wonder about the main character. Thanks to Game Informer’s recent preview, we know more about the titular Ronin that players control.

Known as a Veiled Edge, the Ronin is more than a blank slate. Team Ninja says the character is fully realized and has a fleshed-out backstory. While it wouldn’t provide much information on his personality or goal, players will become acquainted with him throughout the story. It isn’t too far off from Nioh 2, which had a player-created protagonist, but it’s unknown if Rise of the Ronin also has a character creator.

As for the decision to go open world, producer Yosuke Hayashi says it was a “welcome challenge” for the studio. “Something we’ve always wanted to sort of do was to create an open-world title. I think that was sort of a natural next step for us.” That means incorporating civilians, which game director Fumihiko Yasuda said was a “challenge” given how the developer is used to making games where you kill anything and everything.

Rise of the Ronin releases on March 22nd, 2024, worldwide for PS5.