Even More Yakuza Games Headed to Western Markets in 2017 and 2018

Yakuza 0 will be arriving on store shelves in western markets next month, and SEGA are ensuring there is no doubt about the series’ future outside of Japan. With fans set to go through the “origins” story in coming months, it is fitting that they would subsequently be able to enjoy the chapters of Kazuma Kiryu’s story following it.

As their major announcement of today, SEGA have confirmed they will be localising Yakuza Kiwami on the PlayStation 4 in 2017. Eleven years after the Yakuza franchise made its debut on the PlayStation 2, Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the very first game. This is not a simple remake, and features a number of improvements, from visual (HD assets, 1080p/60fps optimisation) and audio (re-recorded Japanese audio) enhancements to brand new storyline and gameplay additions.

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Being retold in Kiwami is the nascent character arc for Yakuza – the game begins with series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu getting sent to prison for the murder of his family patriarch (which he didn’t commit). To make matters worse, during the 10 years of his imprisonment, not only does Kiryu’s clan expel him from the yakuza, but ¥10 billion (Approx $100 million USD) goes missing from the clan treasury. Worse yet, Kiryu’s childhood sweetheart is also nowhere to be found, and with the entirety of the Japanese underworld on the hunt for the missing cash, Kiryu is all but lost until he finds the orphan girl Haruka, searching for her aunt who shares the same name as Kiryu’s missing love. What follows from there is a web of betrayal, underworld politics, and redemption as nothing will stop Kiryu from regaining his honor.

Yakuza Kiwami is set to be available both digitally and physically in western markets from approximately mid-2017.

Looking Forward Towards 2018

While a release in PAL regions by Deep Silver has not yet been confirmed, SEGA have also confirmed their plans to localise and publish Yakuza 6: The Song of Life in North America sometime in 2018. According to SEGA, “Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima [..] will find out exactly how much people are willing to sacrifice for family – be those ties through blood or bond”. 

Yakuza 6 will feature the newly developed “Dragon Engine”, which SEGA claims will see the “most advanced Yakuza title to date” delivered. Kamurocho will return, while the newly introduced town of Onomichi in the Hiroshima Prefecture will also make an appearance.

Expect to hear more about Yakuza 6: The Song of Life sometime in the future.

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