Yakuza 6 marked the end of the Kiryu Kazuma adventures. Since then fans have been waiting with bated breath to see what the future holds for the series. I’ve been going blue in the face. Breathe freely again people, we now have confirmation from Sega that a new Yakuza game shall indeed be coming and will come to the PlayStation 4.
There’s no word on a release date yet, but we do have a main character, Kasuga Ichiban from the Yakuza online mobile game. The story of Ichiban is a familiar one to the Yakuza series, he was released from prison after 17 years for a crime he didn’t commit, only to find Kamurocho has changed since he’s been away.
Ichiban looks like a cross between Kazuma and Shun Akiyama in his pristine yet suit. Speaking of Akiyama, I was really, really hoping he would be the protagonist going forward, he’s a character I love almost as much as Kiryu Kazuma, he’s cool and has a great move set. I’m just hoping that both he and Majima Goro appear in the game in some capacity as they are both great. I just can’t and don’t want, to imagine a game without them. Kazuma has earned his rest, although I still would be more than happy with him showing up in a mentor role.
The promotional image released by Sega shows Ichiban next to the silhouetted figure of a female character who has yet to be cast. That’s because they are running a competition for the female lead, holding auditions for women aged 20 and over. The winner will receive one million yen in prize money, perform in the game and take part in promotional activities. Auditions are open until April 21st and can be signed up for on the official website. If only I was Japanese and a female and could act. I was so close.
New Yakuza is never a bad thing and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. At this stage it’s not clear if this actually is a mainline game or a spin-off, my guess is it’s the start of a new series of main games. I’m sure it will come to the west, let’s just hope the main star doesn’t get caught for drug use. We’ll bring you more news as and when we know it, for now all we know is the Japanese title of Shin Ryu ga Gotoku and that it will release on PS4.
