In the immortal words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is merch and leave a trail.” These truly prophetic words tell us that Emerson’s transparent eyeball was not at all set on the world around him, but on a future in which the real-life island of Tsushima would start selling Ghost of Tsushima merch. No wonder he never made a lick of sense.
Announced on the official Tsushima island website, and mercifully translated for us by Automation Media, it appears the tourist board for the Japanese island has teamed up with Grapht, a sub-brand of MSY Co, to sell official merch for Sucker Punch Productions’ award-winning PlayStation game.
The merch will be sold on the island at the Fureaidokoro Tsushima souvenir shop, and a quick Google translation of the website informs us that this is not, in fact, a limited-time event but an ongoing, permanent fixture to help capitalise on the popularity of the game as well as give visiting fans something to bring back home and treasure fondly.
Many of the items are already available on Grapht’s website, including Ghost of Tsushima-themed socks, mugs, bandanas, shirts and scarves. Some might say that being able to just order the items online makes travelling to Tsushima to get them a waste of time, but really it’s the opposite – can you imagine showing off your merch to a fellow fan to find out they not only have the same stuff, but they got it the far cooler and more spiritually-enriching way?
But I was led to believe this game wasn't appropriate as its a game made by Westerners 😂😂😂
— Titanshadow (@Wes_Hall_) April 26, 2022
This is not the first time that Ghost of Tsushima, which is arguably one of the best PS5 games, has crossed over with the real-life setting of its story. Back in 2021, Tsushima City revealed the Ghost of Real Tsushima – or GORT, if you prefer unflattering abbreviations. The website connects artwork and trailers from the video game with real-world locations and historical information.
Either way, it’s a neat little partnership that’ll hopefully inspire more people to explore the real life locations of some of their favourite games.