The Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is adding an entirely new island, allowing players to explore new environments, gather new gear, learn more techniques, and fight new enemy types. While little has been revealed regarding this Iki Island expansion's story, Sucker Punch Productions has at least revealed the Ghost of Tsushima DLC will be accessible once players reach Act 2 in the main game. The way this new content is integrated into the plot could have big implications for future Ghost of Tsushima games.
It's not clear if the Act 2 requirement is simply to ensure players have the minimum skills and upgrades needed to handle the expansion’s enemies, or if the expansion takes place alongside the events of Act 2. If the former is true, it could allow Iki Island to be set after Ghost of Tsushima's ending, in which case Sucker Punch will have to address which ending is canon.
What is known so far is that Iki Island will tell "a whole new story [with] new characters," according to Sucker Punch. This may make it seem like the expansion will be unrelated to the base game, but Sucker Punch also said this story will throw protagonist Jin Sakai into "events with deeply personal stakes that will force him to relive some traumatic moments from his past." Perhaps this means the Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut will see Jin dealing with the ramifications of his choices in the original campaign.
[Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Ghost of Tsushima.]
How Ghost Of Tsushima Director’s Cut Can Deal With The Ending Choice
The final moments of the Ghost of Tsushima all come down to an emotional bout between Jin and Lord Shimura, Jin's uncle. In the end, players are given an option to spare Lord Shimura against his wishes, embracing Jin's titular "Ghost" persona, or uphold the honor Jin once had, giving Lord Shimura the death he asks for.
While the more obvious choice for a canon ending would be to follow the main theme of the game, having Jin fully embody the Ghost (and sparing Lord Shimura for a potential sequel), the Director's Cut could also avoid making the decision altogether. If it takes place before the end of Ghost of Tsushima's Act 3, Sucker Punch could simply put off canonizing an ending until the next installment.
Whether the Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut expansion makes a decision or leaves it to be answered later, Sucker Punch will eventually need to choose a canon ending. This is, of course, something the developer has done before, as it chose Infamous 2’s good ending as canon for Infamous: Second Son. The same could be done for its samurai epic.