Neither “Yakuza 5” Nor PS4 Installment Coming To The US

It's a choice between localization or pushing the series ahead in Japan, says studio head.

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If you were hoping beyond hope that Sega might still release Yakuza 5, or the Meiji era next-gen sequel Yakuza: Isshin for that matter, it may be time to move on. Studio head Toshihiro Nagoshi recently told Edge that there are no current plans to localize either title in Sega’s hugely popular (in Japan) open-world criminal adventure sim any time soon.

While Nagoshi said he would love to see a release for the Japanese PS4 launch title Isshin at the very least at some point in the future, bringing Yakuza to the West is costly, and the team is small – essentially they have to choose between localizing a game they just made and developing a new title for their fanbase in Japan.

“This time the size of the game was so large, so rather than localizing [Yakuza 5] we chose to focus our manpower on the [Isshin],” Nagoshi said. “But we get asked about it a lot. We get lots of complaints!”

While it’s understandable for a small team to want to cater to a more effusive fanbase, it’s sad that Western gamers have to miss out on these new titles in the Yakuza series, whose narrative charm somehow runs the gamut from the mundane and quirky to the ultra serious cultural traditionalism of the Japanese underground.

For PS3 owners that haven’t tried it, Yakuza 3 and 4 both hold up well for a series that’s consistently been one of the most interesting cultural gaming imports from Japan. Considering we’re not getting any more Yakuza action here for awhile, they may be your only real chance to see what the series’ deal is.

Check out the fascinating full interview with Nagoshi via the link below.

Via Edge

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