Japanese users confused but overjoyed at Ghostwire: Tokyo’s random kotatsu update 

Getting into the winter spirit, Bethesda Softworks/Tango Gameworks released a kotatsu emote update for Ghostwire: Tokyo on December 14. Needless to say, Japanese players are in love. 

A beloved Japanese household object, the kotatsu is a low table covered by a warm heavy blanket, underneath which is an electric heater. The idea is to sit on the floor and cozy up beneath the blanket, while having a practical tabletop at your disposal. 

This comfy object has made an out-of-nowhere appearance in Ghostwire: Tokyo, a game where you fight ancient spirits in a haunted Tokyo among mass disappearances of the population. More precisely put, a free kotatsu emote was added to the game. Ghostwire: Tokyo features a variety of emotes that can be used in the game’s photo mode, allowing the usually out-of-view protagonist to strike up various fun poses for the camera. 

This time around, the developers decided to give players a winter surprise by releasing an emote that has the character snuggle underneath a kotatsu, complete with a bowl of oranges and teacup. This of course means that you can basically whip out the kotatsu anytime anywhere – even on the middle of the street. 

In response to the news, many users were surprised by the fact that Ghostwire: Tokyo was still updating at all, but the impact of the on-the-road kotatsu was even stronger, as users joked about Ghostwire being “the open world game with the deepest understanding of Japanese culture” and renaming the game to a more traditional-sounding “Ghostwire: Kyoto.” It seems many players are looking forward to getting back into the game and pulling out a kotatsu in the middle of the abandoned Shibuya Scramble Crossing. 

Ghostwire: Tokyo is available for the PC (Steam/Epic Games/Microsoft Store), the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.