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Sega Survey Hints At Possible Yakuza Spinoff Localizations
As Sega tends to do whenever a new Yakuza game comes out in America, another survey has been given to the public to see what the Yakuza-loving fanbase wants to see next. This time, the survey implies that Sega has put Yakuza's feudal Japanese spinoffs on the table for localization next.
In the survey, which you can find here, fans are asked "How interested are you in purchasing the various spin-off titles that have never received western release?" While this description does fit a few options, including the Yakuza PSP game, it is most likely referring to the feudal Japanese-era titles.
On the PlayStation 3, Sega decided to take Yakuza for a different kind of spin with Jidaigeki, or period piece mostly commonly used to refer to samurai-era Japan, settings. The first game, Kenzan, was fairly highly praised, but Sega refused to bring it over. The Yakuza series was already a tough sell at the time and the thought seemed to be that Kenzan's story would be too confusing for Americans.
Another title, Yakuza Ishin, followed in the same steps toward the end of the generation, landing on both PS3 and PS4. The game received heavy praise for its story and action, but Sega still decided to not bring the game over to the west. With the Yakuza series getting revitalized in the west, it seems Sega might be reconsidering those decisions.
It is worth mentioning that these surveys are responsible for other longshots bringing the series west. Sega has intimated that the Yakuza HD remasters on PlayStation 4 are because of western fans, PC versions of Yakuza games because of American and European players, as well as the existence of Yakuza Kiwami 2 in the first place being predicated on western sales of Yakuza 0.
In other news, the Yakuza studio is planning to announce a new IP next month. You can also find our review of Yakuza Kiwami 2, which released this week, right here.
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