The Yakuza series has surely been around for a while. We first got our introduction to Kazuma Kiryu in 2005 on PlayStation 2. It was certainly a wonderful consolation prize for a distraught Shenmue fan as myself. The series has evolved with every iteration since then. Yakuza‘s popularity had been fairly mild in the west for the better part of its lifespan. That all changed when Yakuza 0 launched in 2017.
Since then, sales figures for every release became one of the main reasons why SEGA came back swinging as a top publisher. I’m in the process of going through every game myself on my brand new gaming laptop. They did a phenomenal job with the remasters. During a recent investor’s meeting, SEGA explained their hopes for both Yakuza and Judgment in the future:
“We believe that there is still potential for a significant increase in sales of the same game by global expansion and simultaneous localization in multiple languages, with earnings that will naturally follow…In the past, for example, the Japanese version of Yakuza was released first and then sold sequentially in other regions, and the level of localization varied, with the presence or absence of voices and supported languages. By simultaneously launching the game on multiple platforms and in multiple languages, the company will be able to concentrate its marketing costs, which were previously spread out over a period of time, and thus reduce them.”
SEGA
With the introduction of other PC gaming platforms besides Steam, SEGA hopes to expand their business and sales of both franchises.
Additionally, the PC market, which used to be dominated by Steam, has become a market environment that allows us to expand our business to other platforms, including Epic Games. As a result, we believe that we are now in a position to aim for 2-3 million units in the lifetime of a title that previously sold about 1 million units worldwide.”
SEGA
With the recent announcement of Lost Judgment and SEGA’s new focus on Yakuza as a turn-based RPG, their future looks bright. What do you hope to see out of both series in the future? Share your thoughts below!
In the meantime, read our recent review of Judgment for PS5!
