Yakuza’s Getting Extreme

It’s tough to put into words the nigh-physical pain that occurs with every Yakuza announcement in Japan for those who don’t speak the language, thanks to Sega’s treatment of the franchise outside the country.

But it’s difficult to blame them from a certain point-of-view. They genuinely tried to sell the first game on PS2, complete with significant promotional efforts and including an English dub with some big actors. When that didn’t take off, they opted for keeping the Japanese voices for the second game and its progeny, though it killed its appeal with everyone who doesn’t like reading subtitles. (Of course, Yakuza 2 being a late PS2 release didn’t help.) It’s tough to tell without definitive evidence, but that small audience may not be worth the plethora of text translation that goes into the localizations of each game, especially when they apparently sell worse than other niche franchises.

Still, it was nice of Sony to kick in funding for Sega to localize Yakuza 5, even if it’s only enough to release it digitally. I haven’t seen too many comments from people passing on it for that reason (and you shouldn’t), but who knows if the audience looking forward to it is large enough to justify its localization costs and keep them going.

That’s precisely why it hurt hard when Sega announced two new Yakuza titles at Tokyo Game Show this past week. And this is despite how two games releasing since the aforementioned fifth title in Japan, specifically Yakuza Ishin! and Yakuza 0. (Though considering Sega didn’t localize Kenzan!, there was never a chance for Ishin!, since both are historical Japanese tales.) At Sony’s Tokyo Game Show 2015 Conference, the company confirmed that Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza 6 are on their way.

(Translator’s note: “Kiwami” means “Extreme” in Japanese. No, I don’t know how that relates to the game itself.)

While the latter is self-explanatory, the former is a full remake of the first Yakuza title for the franchise’s 10th Anniversary. It sticks out not because it’s happening in between two new mainline installments, but because it’s coming only a few years after the title being remade received an HD remaster for PS3 (and eventually Wii U). Not to mention the remaster and remake will also be available on the same system, since this will hit PS3 in addition to PS4. It’s not quite an Atelier Rorona situation, where the original version and remake both released for PS3, but it’s close.

Like many other gaming franchises, the first installment feels dated compared to its progeny, which have received significant refinements to its gameplay systems — especially with the combat system. This remake will bring the tale up to date in terms of gameplay and presentation, which will make fans who still believe it has the best story in the franchise happy. Kiwami will also have new scenes to clarify events that weren’t clear in the original. Goro Majima will also have a larger part, due to becoming so popular with the fanbase over time. For the greatest emotional impact, Sega is recommending for players to experience it right after Yakuza 0.

Of course, that’s only referring to Japan, because who knows if we’ll ever get that chance. And it certainly would be easy for them to. Yakuza 0 would be a great introduction for those who’ve always been intrigued by the series over the years, but weren’t willing to give it a shot. It doesn’t require any knowledge of previous games, as it’s the earliest point in the franchise outside of the installments dealing with Japanese history. It would be a good way of rebooting the series outside Japan on PS4, and follow with Kiwami’s localization if that sells well. They could also use this opportunity to port the installments to PC, too, since Sega themselves proved that niche Japanese games sell on Steam.

It’s a good plan in theory, but assumes Sega will also go through with a Yakuza 2 remake, and remasters for 3, 4, and 5. It would also involve larger coordination between Sega’s Japanese and American offices, which could be too much to ask given how little power western districts of Japanese companies typically have.

Kiwami is hitting Japan soon, on January 21st, so get ready for the trailers to spoil a plethora of plot details from the original in showcasing its new features and additions. Heck, the first one already did.

Since Kiwami is the current marketing focus, very few details have been given about Yakuza 6. It should be the best-looking title in the franchise, as it will be the first to release only on PS4. That’s somewhat of a risky move for the Japanese market, considering the console’s sales (or lack thereof). However, with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, it appears the Japanese audience that remains on consoles is slowly transitioning from PS3 to PS4. Perhaps they’re hoping the audience for Yakuza games is part of that transition. The upcoming price drop (which currently only applies to Japan) should also help.

If Sega can’t adhere to the plan I laid out above, the second best alternative would be to continue with this game’s localization after 5, while bringing over Zero in the interim. But that’s assuming both Sony and Sega care much about keeping the franchise alive in the west, which admittedly may not be worth their while if they can’t attract a big enough audience to buy them. The first plan I laid out above is still the best for that purpose, but it would be best if there was a future for Yakuza outside Japan at all.