Yakuza 3 localization looking unlikely

by JC Fletcher on Jul 31st 2009 10:15AM

Try not to think too much about the Yakuza 4 that was just announced to an eager Japanese audience. It doesn't look like Yakuza 3 is going to make it outside of Japan, and that doesn't bode well for its sequel, either.

Sega Europe told VG247 that it has "no current plans" to localize Toshihiro Nagoshi's open-world brawler/RPG. A Sega of America employee offered his opinion to The Examiner, saying that the sales of Yakuza 2 were insufficient to justify localization of the PS3 title. Officially, according to statements given to Siliconera by a Sega rep, there is "no confirmation" of any decision regarding Yakuza 3.

Maybe we should all go clear our local GameStop's shelves of Yakuza 2.

Source

Tags: CS1-Team, playstation, ps3, Ryu-ga-Gotoku, Ryu-ga-Gotoku-3, sega, yakuza, yakuza-3

Reader Comments (52)

Anyone who cares will just import the HK version.

Engrish is better than no subs at all. Does such a version really exist?

Hmmm, wha?

Please clarify how the HK version would be any different?

Asian market releases tend to have the English option, if not in the game, at least in the manual. Like Asia release of Gundam Musuo had an english manual translation card only, but Hakuna Matata (Afrika) was full english. Check Play-asia before buying.

Checked Play-Asia and it didn't mention anything about the English option in the Asia version.

Times like these make me satisfied that I ever started learning the language. My copy's in the mail as we speak.

This is really upsetting. I wish there was something I could do. I've purchased a few copies of Yakuza 2 (one for me one for a friend's birthday). UGH this ticks me off.

WTF!? I hope there will be English speech so I can import it from Asia...

The Aisan release doesn't have an English translation.

Oh well, I heard it's not that good of a game anyway...and after seeing the demo footage of the japanese version I agree. The fighting part looked awful, very last gen-ish.

I hate to agree, because I love the series, but you're right. SEGA is really taking advantage of its popularity, and churning them out faster than some poor fool could name off all the unnecessary Sonic characters. Both PS3 games don't feel right at all because of it, very dated indeed (but still decent I guess...).

It's just dollars and cents.

It will probably cost more to localize then the amount of gross return.

But this story has driven me to investigate the Yakuza line of games. Interesting...

I honestly don't trust any choices Sega ever makes anymore. PSP Valkyria Chronicles sequel, shitty Sonic, not localizing this...at least give it to Atlus or something, they know their niche crowd, and they do well.

This makes me so sad. first they deny me a ending to shenmue and now it's yakuza, which i like even more than shenmue.

i feel your pain :`(
How badly i want both those games.

People will probably put all the cutscenes up on youtube and fansub them eventually, so don't worry, you will find out what will happen. It's just the game part you'll be missing out on.

the first yakuza turned me off to the franchise. the fighting gameplay wasn't very impressive

Yeah, I wasn't wild about the fighting either, but damned if I didn't find the premise compelling. I always find the Asian organized crime types in movies and games to be hilariously exaggerated, like schoolyard bullies who grew up physically but not mentally or emotionally. The first Yakuza game was no disappointment in that regard, I should probably pick up a copy of the second before they end up in a landfill...

yeah well maybe if sega released Yakuza 2 a lot earlier than in the time they did people would have bought it. Or wait heres another, how about asking shops to sell it. I was waiting months for that game and when it finally got released no shops had it in. Even to this day I look out for the game and still no look

I played a bit of Y2 this Spring. Its pretty good considering the hardware it is on. Sad to see this game not connecting with the US audience. Its a cool combination of brawling, RPGs and good old crime story.

Or buy a PS3 :)

yeah, sega is a Japanese company, as is sony, so it's easier for them to develop for only the ps3.

i did my part a while ago and picked up a copy from best buy for $20

Sadly, the proposed "Yakuza Bowling" crossover mode was left out of Wii Sports Resort due to an unfortunate ability for Nintendo and Sega to come to terms. Also, that guy would look REALLY stupid as a Mii.

shenmue or gtfo

Didn't Yakuza 2 sell like 40,000 copies or something? That's not much. This isn't like Square Enix bitching that Chrono Trigger is only selling millions of units and that's why there hasn't been a sequel for like two generations.

buy one used.

Is it me or does that not look just a modern day Lu-Bu from Dynasty Warriors?

I got #2 and played it on my PS3, and was hoping this one would come here, but it wouldn't be the ned of the world if it didn't. The demo seemed very similar to the first two, only prettier. Not terrible, worth the time to play, but Sega could definitely use little ambition to improve such a huge series.

this really dissapoints me. I'm not dissapointed in Sega for doing this. But this country has let me down by not supporting such an awesome series. Sure, they crank these games out pretty fast, and may not innovate or make the fighting very fluid... but thats not the point to these games. The main point is *shock!* the story! The storylines of the Yakuza series is one of the main selling points in japan, they are written by one of the top crime novelists in japan!

of course second to the story in terms of main draw are... um the minigames. seemingly thousands of them.

But man, i'm sooo mad that the US never supported this game. Sure, not many people have heard of it or anything, but still. I bet you walk into any game store and ask 10 random people if they heard of Yakuza, maybe 5 out of 10 have heard the name (and i'm being generous) and 1 out of 10 would actually know what its about, and 1 out of 100 have actually played the game. Maybe. Again being generous.

Well, off to the import store for me, it seems! Damn americans only caring about your FPS games and WOW.

Of course it didn't sell well! They released it way late after the end of a console generation on a system that people stopped buying new games for years ago. In addition to that, they never told anyone they were localizing it. They screwed up, and for some reason they're surprised. Sega has nobody to blame but themselves.

If they were to get Yakuza 3 on western shelves by 2010 I guarantee it would sell far better than the ones before it.

Well that's dumb.

Why can't they just sub it like Yakuza 2? That wouldn't cost them too much money in the first place vs hiring VAs to read scripts.

Because SCEA's localization rules want the games to have an English dub. The reason Yakuza 2 was able to get past it was because it came at the end of the PS2s cycle.

Sega could release it on PSN (there are no localization rules there), but that would be a hefty download and it seems like too much trouble.

@T.Chicken: Is that true, that English dub is a requirement of SCEA, not up to the developers? I didn't know that.

we need either for X-SEED or Marvelous entertaiment to do their job here!!!!!

This sucks.

I

Stupid comment system...

That last part was supposed to be:

'I loved Yakuza 2 so much, it's one of my all time favorite games.

Why is it when it comes to Sony companies like Sega and Capcom never want to make the effort? I am sure it won't take that much money to at least make subtitles for Yakuza 3 and send it state side. Sega falls over themselves to make games for the Wii that probably barely sell enough to break even,but now that we want Yakuza 3 all we get is another idiotic excuse. Why all the hate Sega?

"Maybe we should all go clear our local GameStop's shelves of Yakuza 2."

Good luck finding any copies on any store shelf.

Sega can mostly blame themselves for the abysmal lack of promotion and distribution of Yakuza 2. That is why it sold like crap.

damn right! speak the truth my brother!

As Darth Vader would say: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Noooooooooooooooo!

WE ARE NOT AMUSED!

I got the demo from the Japan PSN and it was like a uprezzed PS2 game. No thanks. Would rather have a new Shenmue.

yea sega justify releasing yakuza 3 by yakuza 2, because i mean hey releasing a ps2 game in fall 2008 was gonna get you loads of money. oh and releasing a sequel too many years after people played the first, keep making your trash sonic games(cause they aint what they used to be) and your olympic games cause i mean they make money, right?

Like you guys were expecting anything less from Sega?

They thrive on stupid decisions, nowadays. Sega is one giant BAD DECISION.

And this is coming from a former Sega fanboy...

...just get a PS3.

If Yakuza 3 does localize, Sony needs this to stay exclusive. So it drives more people to get a PS3. Putting it to the 360, people like you won't get the PS3 at all. And it's a shame because you are missing the great features it has.

I would have bought Yakuza 2 if it didn't take so long to be released in the West. There just isn't that much motivation to buy a game when it's improved sequel is already out (or just about out), elsewhere.

"The sales of Yakuza 2 were insufficient to justify localization of the PS3 title".

Well perhaps it would have sold better if Sega would have invested some of the money they invested iinto their movie licensed games like "Iron Man" and invested it into Yakuza 2's Marketing and promotion which was non-existent. To top it off the game was priced like a budget title. The game nowhere near got the attention it's Japanese counterpart did.

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Yakuza 3 localization looking unlikely

Reader Comments (52)

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