No Yakuza Announcements at PSX, but SEGA Promises a “Great” 2018

For the first time in years, there will apparently be no news regarding the Yakuza franchise, according to two SEGA representatives who spoke on a live stream yesterday. In what looks like a continued effort to downscale the Playstation Experience, certain staple titles and events aren’t showing up in favor of bigger releases and announcements at the show.

During a Twitch playthrough of Yakuza 0, SEGA’s Sam Mullen and Scott Strichart mentioned that the game would not be making an appearance at PSX this year. The localizations of Yakuza 5, Yakuza 0, and Yakuza 6 (along with the first Yakuza Kiwami localization) were announced in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The franchise has delivered news consistently at PSX for three years, but it’s likely that SEGA’s localization team has more than enough on the horizon for players to look forward to in 2018.

“Here’s the thing about PSX: they have changed the format a bit, and as you know we’ve been there for years,” said Strichart. With this past year’s releases of Kiwami and Yakuza 6, it also makes sense for the company to focus up on pushing the latest Yakuza titles in the meantime. “Every game needs to get as much of the limelight as it can,” explained Mullen. “We are here on the cusp of releasing the third Yakuza game in a year in some change … so our focus in on Yakuza 6.” Mullen confirmed the game’s presence at PSX, but no new announcements surrounding it.

Sega of America has been localizing the Yakuza franchise, developed by Japanese studio Ryu Ga Gotoku, and has worked on localizing other titles like it before. Yakuza Kiwami 2 releases on December 7th in Japan, right in the middle of PSX, so it’s likely that SEGA wouldn’t have localization material prepped for the show.

Despite the franchise’s absence from PSX this year, the duo promised a “great year” ahead in 2018, and confirmed that they are working on “super secret projects” for the future.