Sega and Sony Confirm ‘Yakuza 5’ For The West!

Amongst a wide array of big news coming out of Sony’s Playstation Experience, this might be the most important piece of info we got if you’re a fan of the seedy, Japanese underworld.

At the show, Sega announced that a Western release for Yakuza 5 is on the way! Originally released in late 2012, it seemed like the title would be the first in the core series to miss an international audience. But fans made it known that they wanted to continue navigating Japan’s criminal underground, and it seems like Sega has listened! Unfortunately, it’ll only be released digitally through the Playstation Network, but hey! At least we’re getting it! Now if only Nintendo would do the same and release the Wii U versions of 1 and 2!

From the press release:

A direct sequel to Yakuza 4™, the game continues the epic story of Kazuma Kiryu<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuma_Kiryu> alongside four other protagonists, following their struggles and conflicts in the seedy underbelly of Japan’s Yakuza underworld. Featuring a new graphics engine versus its predecessor, Yakuza 5 takes players to five major Japanese cities to venture through a life of crime and power.

Yakuza 5 features more mini-games than previous titles, a modified battle system as well as enhanced customizations and interactions in the signature hostess bars of the franchise. In addition to these features, Yakuza 5 also introduces “Another Drama” which is a series of side stories that focus on each protagonist in-depth and are separate from the main story of the game.

“The world of the Yakuza series has fascinated gamers in Japan and the West for many years,” said John Cheng, COO and President of SEGA of America. “We know fans have been eagerly awaiting a release of Yakuza 5 here and we are thrilled to finally launch this spectacular entry in the series in North America and Europe.

Will Yakuza 5 be in your download queue when it launches in 2015?