Yakuza Kiwami Coming West on August 29, Story Trailer
The Dragon Rises Again - Yakuza Kiwami Will Be Arriving To The West On August 29
12 long years have passed since the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, made his debut on PlayStation 2 in Yakuza, but it’s time to return to where it all started. Get ready to unleash the dragon, because the HD remake Yakuza Kiwami will be available in Europe on August 29 2017! The game will be coming out physically and digitally on the PlayStation 4 for $29.99. Additionally, pre-orders and limited first run copies of the physical version will come packaged in a stunning SteelBook.
We’ve also launched the Yakuza Experience Website that features an in-depth Yakuza series interactive timeline and character map, as well as the first issue of a 10-part digital comic series, “The Dragon’s Path.” The comic will recreate iconic moments from the franchise, taking readers from Yakuza 0 up to Yakuza 6, and veterans of the series can expect some surprises in store for them. The interactive timeline and character map will be updated to correspond with each new chapter from the comic. Visit the website here: yakuza.sega.com/experience.
Being retold in Kiwami is the nascent character arc for Yakuza - the game begins with series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu getting sent to prison for the murder of his family patriarch (which he didn't commit). To make matters worse, during the 10 years of his imprisonment, not only does Kiryu's clan expel him from the yakuza, but ¥10 billion (~$100 million) goes missing from the clan treasury. Worse yet, Kiryu's childhood sweetheart is also nowhere to be found, and with the entirety of the Japanese underworld on the hunt for the missing cash, Kiryu is all but lost until he finds the orphan girl Haruka, searching for her aunt who shares the same name as Kiryu's missing love. What follows from there is a web of betrayal, underworld politics, and redemption as nothing will stop Kiryu from regaining his honor.
Yakuza Kiwami Features
• A Family Patriarch's Ransom of New Content - “Kiwami” literally translates to “extreme,” and the game was named that for good reason. Not just a simple graphical upgrade, Kiwami adds nearly 30 minutes of cutscenes alone, providing all-new insight into the game's plot and creating common threads with series prequel Yakuza 0. There's also added distractions (Pocket Circuit car racing, MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties, new hostesses, and more), side quests, combat updates, re-recorded Japanese dialogue, and more to bring the original Yakuza game into the latest console generation.
• A Place for Newcomers and Veterans - Yakuza Kiwami is the ultimate bridge in the series: newcomers or those whose Yakuza experience started with Yakuza 0 will have familiar, exacting controls, top-notch SEGA localization, and a solid starting point for entering the Yakuza franchise fresh. Veterans will experience a familiar Kamurocho and plot, but with new levels of story depth and graphical polish.
• But it was me! Majima! - Completely new to Kiwami is the "Majima Everywhere" system, where the series' deranged, one-eyed maniac will constantly surprise and challenge Kiryu to combat when he least expects it. We're talking "popping out of a goofy costume" levels of surprise, so players must stay on their toes and be ready to defend themselves from Kiryu's chief rival.
• Extreme Revitalization - Kiwami is rebuilt from the ground up with all new HD assets, exclusive Japanese voice audio re-recorded by the series cast, and more; optimized for the PlayStation 4 and running in 1080p/60fps. And following suit with SEGA's commitment to the Yakuza series, the game will release in both physical and digital formats in the west.
In addition to Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami provides an excellent starting point for those who have always heard about the series but have yet to try it. It preserves the charm of old-school, PS2-era beat-em-up gameplay, but deftly combines it with a hard-boiled crime drama punctuated with the liveliness of Kamurocho - the fictional red-light district of Tokyo the game is set in - and all the distractions that a red-light district can offer. For more information about Yakuza Kiwami and the Yakuza series, please visit yakuza.sega.com/kiwami.
Learn How To Fight And Play Through The Streets Of Kamurocho In The New Yakuza Kiwami Trailer!
Can't wait to jump back into the rough-and-tumble world of Yakuza? How about a flashy new trailer to tide you over for now?
Our new video shows off some of the fun activities you can indulge in to pass the time in Yakuza Kiwami! It should come as no surprise that the streets are filled with thugs who are just asking for a beat down, but luckily Kiryu is equipped with four deadly fighting techniques waiting to be unleashed. Educate enemies in the art of fisticuffs with the balanced Brawler, all-powerful Beast, lightning-quick Rush, and unstoppable Dragon styles. Once the riffraff has been dealt with, cool off by exploring the various vices that Kamurocho offers! Classic minigames like Mahjong, pool, and karaoke are back, but new distractions like Pocket Circuit car racing, new hostesses, MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties, and more can be enjoyed as Kiryu passes the time between fights.
Oh, and be sure to check out the Yakuza Experience website, a Yakuza portal where the world of Yakuza can be explored via an interactive timeline and character map. It's a great resource to use if you want to learn about the history, characters, and families in the series. The site also features a 10-issue digital comic, starting with some of the key events of Yakuza 0 and taking you along for the ride all the way up to Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (coming to PlayStation 4 early next year). Speaking of the comic, we've uploaded the third issue today! It sets the stage for Yakuza Kiwami, with an all new flash back and perhaps the most life-changing moment in Kiryu's life.
Without further ado, learn what makes Kamurocho such an enticing destination for Yakuza members in the trailer above!
Yakuza Kiwami Features
• A Family Patriarch's Ransom of New Content - “Kiwami” literally translates to “extreme,” and the game was named that for good reason. Not just a simple graphical upgrade, Kiwami adds nearly 30 minutes of cutscenes alone, providing all-new insight into the game's plot and creating common threads with series prequel Yakuza 0. There's also added distractions (Pocket Circuit car racing, MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties, new hostesses, and more), side quests, combat updates, re-recorded Japanese dialogue, and more to bring the original Yakuza game into the latest console generation.
• A Place for Newcomers and Veterans - Yakuza Kiwami is the ultimate bridge in the series: newcomers or those whose Yakuza experience started with Yakuza 0 will have familiar, exacting controls, top-notch SEGA localization, and a solid starting point for entering the Yakuza franchise fresh. Veterans will experience a familiar Kamurocho and plot, but with new levels of story depth and graphical polish.
• But it was me! Majima! - Completely new to Kiwami is the "Majima Everywhere" system, where the series' deranged, one-eyed maniac will constantly surprise and challenge Kiryu to combat when he least expects it. We're talking "popping out of a goofy costume" levels of surprise, so players must stay on their toes and be ready to defend themselves from Kiryu's chief rival.
• Extreme Revitalization - Kiwami is rebuilt from the ground up with all new HD assets, exclusive Japanese voice audio re-recorded by the series cast, and more; optimized for the PlayStation 4 and running in 1080p/60fps. And following suit with SEGA's commitment to the Yakuza series, the game will release in both physical and digital formats in the west.
Yakuza Kiwami will be released on PlayStation 4 physically and digitally on 29 August for £29.99. Yakuza Kiwami provides an excellent starting point for those who have always heard about the series but have yet to try it. It preserves the charm of old-school, PS2-era beat-em-up gameplay, but deftly combines it with a hard-boiled crime drama punctuated with the liveliness of Kamurocho - the fictional red-light district of Tokyo the game is set in - and all the distractions that a red-light district can offer. For more information about Yakuza Kiwami, please visit yakuza.sega.com/kiwami.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, or Yakuza Studio, will host a new titles presentation on August 26 from 19:00 to 20:00 JST at UDX Theater in Akihabara, Sega announced.
Sega is currently holding a lottery to give away 30 invitations to the event. To participate in the drawing, simply follow @ryugagotoku on Twitter and retweet this tweet.
While the latest works of Yakuza Studio will be announced at this event, it is currently unknown if any will be a Yakuza title. Hoover, studio boss Toshihiro Nagoshi said during today’s Sega Nama live stream that it will be a new title presentation for multiple titles, “including something expected.” It will be a focus on future trends.
Be the Baddest Man on the Block with Free Yakuza Kiwami DLC!
We're not saying that Kazuma Kiryu isn't already the baddest man strutting down the mean streets of Kamurocho. I mean his nickname is "The Dragon of Dojima" after all, but even he can agree that getting help isn't a sign of weakness, particularly if aid comes in the form of free Yakuza Kiwami DLC that we'll be releasing throughout this September! From useful consumable items to Goro Majima's glorious snake skin jacket outfit, these goodies can only help Kiryu remain a living legend to be reckoned with (especially in the high-octane world of competitive Pocket Circuit racing).
The DLC will automatically patch into the game when available and can be obtained from Bob Utsunomiya, the clown located underneath the Tenkaichi Street Gate.
Without further ado, check out the DLC information below!
Prison Escapee – Kiryu’s prison outfit
Extra Balance Motor – Pocket Circuit part
Extra Slim Tires – Pocket Circuit part
Boost Gears – Pocket Circuit part
Speed Frame Plus – Pocket Circuit part
Stone of Enduring – Item that protects against a critical attack once
Kiwami Fun Pack 2 (September 19)
Black Suit – Kiryu’s black suit outfit
Toughness Infinity – Stamina/health recovery item
Tauriner Maximum – Stamina/health recovery item
Staminan Spark – Stamina/health recovery item
Marlin Cannon – Hand-held cannon
Platinum Plate – Sell for cash item
Kiwami Street Pack 2 (September 26)
Snake Skin Jacket – Majima’s Outfit
Killer Bee – Pocket Circuit car
Godspeed Motor – Pocket Circuit part
Super Slim Tires – Pocket Circuit part
Godspeed Gears Plus – Pocket Circuit part
New Bumper Plate – Pocket Circuit part
Sacrifice Stone – Item that protects against death once
Yakuza Kiwami will be released on PlayStation 4 physically and digitally on Aug. 29 for $29.99 (with commensurate European pricing). In addition to Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami provides an excellent starting point for those who have always heard about the series but have yet to try it. It preserves the charm of old-school, PS2-era beat-em-up gameplay, but deftly combines it with a hard-boiled crime drama punctuated with the liveliness of Kamurocho - the fictional red-light district of Tokyo the game is set in - and all the distractions that a red-light district can offer.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Launches March 20 in the Americas and Europe
This is Family Business - Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Will Be Arriving in the West on March 20, 2018
The final chapter of Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima and main protagonist of SEGA’s long-running Yakuza franchise, will soon come to a close when Yakuza 6: The Song of Life debuts in the Americas and Europe on March 20, 2018. The game will be available physically and digitally on PlayStation®4, and thanks to the new "Dragon Engine," is the most technologically advanced Yakuza title to date.
Since the game is the final odyssey for Kazuma Kiryu, it’s only right to send him off with our first-ever Yakuza premium edition. Unwind after a long day of babysitting and skull-cracking with the “After Hours” premium edition; it will contain:
• Hardcover Art Book - The intense human drama and magnetic world of Yakuza 6 will be on display in this stunning art book. We’ll have more details on what will fill the pages at a later date.
• 2 Bar Glasses (280ml) - Designed with Kiryu’s ferocious dragon tattoo, these bar glasses are the perfect receptacles for your beverage of choice.
• 2 Ice Stones - Cool down your drinks with a pair of heat action branded ice stones! One features the flame heat action icon, while the other has the Japanese “kiwami” heat action icon. Chilling has never been so… extreme.
• 2 Coasters - A true yakuza knows how to relax with class, so coasters are a must have when lounging after hours. Protect table surfaces with style by placing your glasses on top of official Tojo Clan branded coasters. Plus, you won’t need to play the “is this my drink?” game because of their inverted colors!
• An Outer Box - All of these essential tools will be housed within a collectable outer box.
If indulging in libations isn’t up your alley, you can pre-order or grab the limited launch edition of the game which contains a sleek hardcover art book that also doubles as the disc holder!
In Yakuza 6, Kazuma Kiryu will find out exactly how much people are willing to sacrifice for family - be those ties through blood or bond - when he investigates a series of shadowy events that involve the ones he holds closest to his heart. Fresh out of a three-year prison sentence, an older and weathered Kiryu comes to find out that his surrogate daughter, Haruka, has gone missing from the orphanage he looks after. The trail leads him to his old stomping grounds in Kamurocho, where he discovers that she has been struck by a car and now lies in a coma. To make matters worse, Kiryu learns that Haruka now has a son that he must look after. With baby in hand, Kiryu journeys to the seaside town of Onomichi, Hiroshima to unravel the truth about Haruka, her son, and a sinister secret that the Hiroshima yakuza are harboring.
From the unparalleled realism of the new setting of Onomichi, a beautiful, sleepy port town in Hiroshima Prefecture, to the latest evolution of Kamurocho, the biggest red-light district in Tokyo, Yakuza 6 is the ultimate iteration the game's blend of gritty crime story, hyper-explosive combat, and all the vices and distractions those locales have to offer.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Features
• Enter the “Dragon Engine” - Explore the world of Yakuza like never before. Yakuza 6 is the first current-gen Yakuza title that was developed from the ground up for the PS4, introducing the seedy Japanese underworld with detailed visuals, lifelike animations, a new physics engine, interactive storefronts, seamless transitions and more. That’s right! Fights can start on the streets and end in a pile of shattered glass, scattered snacks, and bruised bodies on the floor of the nearest Poppo convenience store.
• Explore Kamurocho Reborn and the Scenic Views of Onomichi - Speaking of Dragon Engine, the hypnotic lights, opportunistic inhabitants, and hedonistic distractions of Kamurocho look better than ever. Revamped minigames like karaoke, batting cages, darts, hostesses, and the SEGA arcade have been streamlined for maximum pleasure, and new additions like the RIZAP Gym, Cat Café, and Clan Creator are the purrfect distractions after a long night of bashing heads! But it’s also time to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life to play tourist in beautiful Onomichi. This tranquil coastal community is home to plenty of local activities like bar mingling, spearfishing (think action-packed rail shooter … with fish), and more!
• Let the Bodies Hit the Floor - Yakuza 6 Kiryu is a 100% certified thugfed OG, so that means he’s a battle-hardened veteran when it comes to the art of street fighting. Although he utilizes one fighting style this time around, you best believe Kiryu hits like a truck. Devastating combos and bone-breaking Heat Actions make a return, but now the Dragon of Dojima can fill up a meter to engage Extreme Heat Mode. When activated, Kiryu glows blue and unleashes heavy-damage combos with his fists or any “tool” that’s close at hand. Painting painful masterpieces has never felt so good.
• Fully Voiced Japanese Audio - For the first time in series history, every line and piece of dialogue is fully voiced in Japanese. Let the dramatic story and absurd humor of the series unfold like an interactive foreign film experience.
For more information please visit: yakuza.sega.com.
The Taiwanese PlayStation Store has leaked the announcement of Yakuza: Kiwami 2 for PlayStation 4 ahead of Sega’s Yakuza Studio New Titles Presentation on August 26.
According to the listing, the game, which is a remake of Yakuza 2, is built in the latest iteration of the Dragon Engine, which is used in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, and will launch in Taiwan on December 7.
Further details are expected to be announced on Tomorrow August 26.
The first Yakuza: Kiwami launched for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in Japan on January 21, 2016, and will launch for PlayStation 4 in the Americas and Europe on August 29.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life ‘Previously on Yakuza…’ trailer, launch edition box art
Sega has released a new trailer for Yakuza 6: The Song of Life dubbed “Previously on Yakuza…” and revealed the official cover art for the August-announced launch edition of the game, which has been officially titled the “Essence of Art Edition.”
Over at the PlayStation Blog, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life localization producer Scott Strichart wrote up a post about the challenge of localizing the 50-hour adventure game from Japanese to English.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is available now for PlayStation 4 in Japan, and will launch on March 20 in the Americas and Europe.
Rule the Streets of Kamurocho and Onomichi with Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Clan Creator Minigame
Gray jacket, red shirt with the collar up and that perfectly styled hair. It's him, Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, with a dozen of the strongest men known in Kamurocho. You've done your best to put together the strongest team possible in hopes of conquering this territory. Two dozen bodies move, flooding the streets with roundhouse kicks and quick jabs. The wave of men quickly takes your team down and you've lost. But you and your men have gained experience, leveled up and will return stronger for another fight, another time. In Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, for the first time, you will be able to command some of the biggest names in Yakuza lore in the Clan Creator minigame when the game releases March 20!
Start strategizing and planning now with the new Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Clan Creator minigame trailer below, featuring a face-off between Kiryu and The Six Lunatics!
Look closely at the trailer, because you might find some codes to unlock special characters in the Clan Creator minigame.