Gameblog.fr recently sat down with Yakuza series producer Daisuke Sato, who discussed everything from the potential of seeing the series on Switch and Xbox One, to the potential creations of a Yakuza 0-2, Binary Domain 2, and more.
Get the tidbits below.
Regarding a Yakuza 0-2…
Daisuke Sato: “We are still completely in the dark as there is no particular [Yakuza 0-2] project [in development]. But if we were to make it, it would be about young Kiryu and Majima again.”
Regarding a Yakuza-style City Hunter spin-off or other spin-offs…
Daisuke Sato: “This is a question that I get asked quite regularly. Technically, that would be possible. After all, the story of City Hunter takes place in Shinjuku. We have a common point and that would be potentially possible. Now, knowing whether to do it or not is another question because what’s important is that the two universes stick together perfectly. In the case of Fist of the North Star, we certainly had relatively different worlds, with a real world on one side and a post-apocalyptic world drawn from a manga on the other, but it worked very well at the character level. When we look at the characters of Yakzua and the characters of Fist of the North Star, we find a lot of things that intertwine, we can find personalities, ways of acting and behaving that are very very close in both worlds. That’s why it stuck very well that we were able to bring something really interesting as game creators. We really want to focus on those points.”
Regarding the Yakuza series on non-PlayStation consoles…
Daisuke Sato: “To be realistic about what happened, Yakuza 1&2 HD for Wii U was a huge failure. But we are always looking to develop for multiple platforms as much as possible and know that brings in a greater audience to attract more people. However, as far as Switch is concerned, I’m convinced that it isn’t the ideal platform on which to develop Yakuza games. Maybe people don’t expect this kind of game on Switch. Maybe they’re used to different games. It may not be the ideal platform. As for Xbox One, we can consider it, knowing that Xbox One users may be more likely to be interested in a game like Yakuza. This could potentially be an option.”
Regarding a Binary Domain 2…
Daisuke Sato: “As far as I’m concerned, I would love to make a sequel. It is purely a question of practicallity and administration. It’s up to Sega to decide whether or not they want to do it. (Laughs.)”
Regarding whether we’ll see Shun Akiyama again…
Daisuke Sato: “Hmm… why not… (Laughs.)”
(Potential Spoiler Question) Regarding Yakuza 6: The Song of Life being the end of Kazuma Kiryu’s story…
Daisuke Sato: “He is not dead, and that does not mean he will disappear completely, we may see him again one day.”