A new Yakuza game was announced, and you would expect this newest one to be PlayStation 4 (or at the very least, next-gen) exclusive, right? Well, that hasn’t happened, and much like the previous Yakuza release that was also cross platform on PS3 and PS4, the new Yakuza game is, bafflingly enough, planned to be cross gen.
However, speaking to Famitsu (with the translation provided by our friends at DualShockers), the developers explained their rationale for this move, and discussed why the game will not be PS4 exclusive.
“We will be releasing it on the PS3 and PS4. There are many fans who are still playing on the PS3 and we want to make it available to that system as well for them, while simultaneously we want to release the game for people who have bought and looking forward to a next gen feeling with the PS4, it’ll be very similar to how Ishin was released,” they said.
It seems like the fact that the PS4 is still struggling in Japan- it is outsold by the Wii U on a weekly basis- weighs heavily on Sega’s mind, which is why they are also releasing the game on the PS3, a system with a safe install base. At the same time, it also appears that Sega does want to start building out the fanbase for the series on the PS4, which is why the game is appearing on the console in the first place.
No word yet on whether the new Yakuza game will be releasing in the west as well, although judging by the franchise’s recent history, it does not seem like it will.