The announcement of an Ōkami sequel at The Game Awards ignited a wave of excitement among fans, yet details remain scarce. A recent IGN interview with the project leads shed some light, confirming the sequel as a direct continuation of the original game's story. Capcom producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi explicitly stated it's a "continuation of the story that we saw in the original game." While director Hideki Kamiya playfully responded with "I wonder..." regarding Amaterasu's presence in the trailer, Hirabayashi confirmed it was indeed the sun goddess.
While unsurprising to many fans, the sequel's existence sparked discussion about its relationship to *Ōkamiden*, a Nintendo DS title starring Amaterasu's child, Chibiterasu. *Ōkamiden*, released with mixed reception due to its platform and the absence of key original team members, including Kamiya, presents a unique challenge for the new sequel. Regarding *Ōkamiden*'s acknowledgement, Hirabayashi stated: "We know that there are fans out there that like the game, of course. And we also know the feedback on the game out there, of how the story was taken and now how perhaps parts of the story weren’t aligning with what people were expecting. With that, we also have the sequel now that, as we explained before, is a continuation from the story of the original base Ōkami. That's how we're going to phrase it."The original Ōkami's ending inherently suggests a sequel, irrespective of Ōkamiden. Without revealing spoilers, Amaterasu and another character embark on a new, unexplored journey, leaving ample room for fresh challenges and narratives.
Unfortunately, further details remain elusive. The team confirmed the sequel is in its very early stages of development, explaining the early announcement as a result of their excitement. According to Hirabayashi, this also means "It might take a little bit of time before we might talk again."
A full interview with the Ōkami sequel's leads is available [ttpp].