Spin-off series ‘suitable for makeover’
At a recent event in Taipei, held to celebrate the Chinese launch ofYakuza 5, Team Yakuza producer Daisuke Sato mused on the possibilities of giving the “Kiwami” remake treatment to the Japan-onlyYakuza Kenzantitles.
Speaking with Bahamut, Sato brought up the spin-off series when asked whether fans could expect further Kiwami titles in the future. “Personally,Yakuza Kenzanis quite suitable to get a ‘Kiwami’ makeover,” began Sato. “Kenzanwas the firstYakuzagame on the PlayStation 3, and only released in Japan. A lot of Western players mentioned that they want to play this game in English, and Asian players also want the game to release in Chinese.”
Of course, this is no confirmation that such a project is underway, but it’s pleasing to hear Sato so on-board with the possibility. The producer went on to further clarify how he would choose to upgrade the game’s PS3 visuals, which almost reveals that the project is some he has at least addressed himself. “Kenzanwas an early PS3 game, if it were to receive a simple HD remaster it would feel like it’s missing something, so in my opinion a ‘Kiwami’ version would be better… if we were to create a ‘Kiwami’ version, we could possibly find new actors to contract and swap the models out.”
While many fans have been playing theYakuzatitles since their PS2 days, the inarguable truth is thatYakuza 0,followed by theKiwamire-releases andYakuza 6: The Song of Life, were the games that helped the franchise blow up with an entirely new community of players. A localisation of theKenzanandIshinspin-offs – which are set in feudal Japan – could prove fruitful. And given the success of recent period pieces such as FromSoft’sSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it feels like the time is right.
Yakuza producer saysYakuza Kenzancould get a Kiwami version [Siliconera/Bahamut]
