In recent years Sega's Yakuza series has gone beyond the PlayStation - making its way across to the Xbox and PC. What are the chances of a Switch release then?
Speaking to GameSpot, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama explained how the team is hesitant to port the series across to Nintendo's hybrid system as its family-friendly image could potentially clash with the "underground feeling" of the Yakuza series:
"Do we want to put a title like this where we're going around and picking a fight with the world and doing all this Yakuza stuff, on a Switch...We still kind of think of ourselves as people of the night world, right? We don't want to be like walking around the day with everybody else. Like for us, it's kind of showing this kind of underground feeling. I think the underground kind of feeling is what we want to do."
Although the Switch caters to a wide audience of players with its friendly image, this hasn't stopped franchises like Grand Theft Auto, DOOM, Mortal Kombat and plenty of other mature experiences from making their way across to Nintendo's hybrid system.
This isn't the first time the Yakuza team has knocked back the Switch, either. Back in 2018, the series producer mentioned how the hybrid hardware was not "the ideal platform" as players on this platform may be used to "different" game experiences. According to series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, Nintendo previously rejected the original Yakuza as well.
Would you like to one day see the Yakuza series make its way across to a Nintendo platform? Tell us below.
[source gamespot.com]
Comments 123
Ok, that is just nonsense.
Not particularly. Although I can see why people would want Yakuza games on Switch. Basically, I can respect the man's vision for the franchise, but I can't say I agree with his logic. But he can definitely do what he wants to do. Plenty of other great games on Switch. I wouldn't shed tears over missed opportunities here.
No, I don’t want to see Yakuza on Switch because when I’m walking around with the day people I don’t want to have that feeling like I should be underground picking a fight with the world.
Obviously.
It's a garbage series anyways.
Thats fine. Would never have bought it anyway
Played and enjoyed Yakuza Like a Dragon. The game is so goofy and a throwback to old school JRPGs. It would be a perfect fit for Switch.
Not underground enough of a platform for a system that upon reveal was treated as the underdog and laughingstock compared to the mainstream powerhouses of PlayStation and XBox. Sure.
A lot of butts will be hurt by this statement by the Yakuza devs! LOL
Maybe they should release it on the Wii U if he wants it to be more underground.
The Switch is the most lucrative and at its most diverse audience time ATM to port the Yakuza games. His loss.
What a douche, that's total nonsense.
Then again when has Sega ever been known for making good business decisions
Shame really some people hold stigmas what about parents in family friendly and Switch is on the go you can take it underground for decades Nintendo takes this bull dont worry kids true Gs play big N
Said for a few years now they need to do Switch Lite xl that would raise appeal
That's.....really strange reasoning. There's plenty of games on Switch with that "underground" feel. It's kind of ironic too given Nintendo has a history with the real Yakuza.
Pretty sure the real reasoning behind it is Sega just doesn't want to spend the money to port the series over. Which would be a better excuse than this.
Weakest excuse ever, it doesn’t even make sense when seeing what’s already on Switch!
Even though I don't agree I applaud him for sticking to his principles as opposed to simply chasing money like most other company heads.
@BFahey3 Funny thing is that Yakuza 1 & 2 WERE released on Wii U in Japan only.
What a load.
This developer just has zero interest in developing for the Switch, and probably other Nintendo devices going into the future. I wish they'd just be honest and say what they mean, instead of concocting these absurd excuses for why they continue to ignore the platform.
I really don't get this. I've played a Yakuza game, and while yes it had some drama & was a game centered around criminal narrative elements, it had so much goofy humor as well (and as far as I can tell that's a theme that runs through the series).
No way it's more inappropriate for the audience than SMTV, Bayonetta (other SEGA owned properties), Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Onimusha, or Ninja Gaiden, and he absolutely knows that.
Who cares his games suck anyways ..no loss there
@NWC I reject your opinion because it's wrong
... this is like the millionth time I heard this.
Saying the system is family friendly is and always be a lie with all the horror games and 17+ games on the system.
They should just come out and say that optimizing the game to run on the switch is a task they don't want to deal with. Considering how often they pump these games out I just don't think they have the time. Still think it's an excellent series and am looking forward to Ishin, even though my carpal tunnel will undoubtedly flare up playing it.
Dude, just say you don’t want to expend the effort of porting the games. It’s a weak excuse and I’m glad plenty of people are mocking his bizarre reasoning.
I wonder if this is some kind of marketing strategy.
I can see maybe deeming the ports not worth the effort, but if that's the case then just say that, y'know?
Though all the sour grapes, "Oh well it sucks anyway!" in this comments section is pretty hilarious.
Dying Light & GTA amongst others are on the system so this reasoning is stupid as well as being financially stupid as the install base is over 110 million. If the reason is that the technical limitations would create a sub par result on switch then I would understand.
That's absurdly stupid. If he don't want money, and don't want to expand players audience of Ryū Ga Gotoku/Yakuza games, then, that's only his problem, his vision, and his opinion, alongside with Toshihiro Nagoshi's opinion. Directors changed, but policy to Nintendo Switch remains the same. That's kinda ironic... And sad, because we probably will not get any Ryū Ga Gotoku/Yakuza game on Switch...
Well, at least he didnt say that it was because the switch couldn't run the game.
It’s a piece of hardware. I’m so sick of devs pushing their bias on a console. Sony and Microsoft have family friendly games, does that mean RgG/Yakuza should be pulled? If you aren’t confident it will sell (usually because of crap marketing) just say so. Let gamers play where they want.
If this weren’t one of my favorite franchises I would boycott out of principal. But I own every game in english and Japanese (including the WiiU ports) except of the end because I don’t like zombies so they got my money already. This may push me to buying used though.
I really like the series and hope the games get ported one day
I feel like something was lost in translation, because all I'm hearing is:
"We're too incompetent to port our games to the Switch."
I mean they can still port the other Yakuza related games. Honestly yakuza seems right at home on the switch
I tried it on Xbox but didn’t think much of it
"Yakuza Dev is Dumb"
Fixed it for you.
We have already Doom classics, Doom new titles, Bayonetta, GTA, Devil May Cry, lots of Resident Evil titles (even these on the cloud soon), Shin Megami Tensei, Dark Souls, many horror games, Vampyr, Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice, etc and this guy says about mature content and underground feeling? Where this guy lives? On what period? On nes era? ...
How'd this response come about? Did they pester them again with port begging? Cause there's only so many ways they can say they don't think the switch is the right platform for their series before they start making hilariously dumb responses like these
This guy sounds like he's still fighting the Sega-Nintendo console wars.
I’d understand if he’s talking about the GameCube days but the switch is getting bayonetta 3 soon and there’s tons of M-rated games on the switch already (of varying quality) so it just sounds like an excuse.
I could play my switch on the London Underground - surely you can't get more subterranean than that?!
Considering there are already a fair share of Switch games with an even more "underground feeling" then Yakuza, thats just a nonsense excuse.
Maybe this is a silly statement to make us think it’s never happening but actually it is and it’s going to be a surprise
I think he wants to say that the Switch is too underpowered to easily port their games over and can’t be arsed to put the work in to make scaled down versions.
Personnely I wish for the old days like NES, when pretty much all the games where family friendly. To be honest I wish developers in general tone down the bad stuff, it is really bad these days. Sadly the NES days are gone and there is a lot of violence and stuff to be found in the Switch's library.
I played the Yakuza series and think if this would be the standard for mature games, it would be fine by me. As others already mentioned the game is kinda goofy, really over the top and has some class. Really if you like games with some mature stuff the series is great, even awesome. And at least the main protagonists act like good people. I would say at least up to Yakuza 0 the series is goodhearted, because I have not played the newer ones.
Well for me it is time to get out of the sewers.
The Molemen have some sort of hold on him?
Yeah cause "Underground" would describe a brand from a megacorp or you might have had as a TV or Smartphone, or every time you start a Windows PC.
Not the odd one out that is purely a gaming entity in a time of multimedia corporate domination, lol. LOL! Does he think Starbucks is underground and anti-mainstream too?
That is the dumbest f-ing reason I've ever heard. JFC... 🤦♂️ All the nights I was playing my Switch while commuting home (literally underground on the subway), I guess I was doing it wrong. Silly me.
No one tell this ass🧢 that the Steamdeck exists! 😲😱
Damn thought it was just Nagoshi but now that he is gone thought there would be some changes. Oh well.
Like A Dragon was excellent and there is no reason they couldn't get it working on Switch with a lower resolution.
Just money on the table that they could burn on more bad Sonic games.
I think the dude is just high af, give him a break guys.
Some of the best games out there. Highly recommended if you have the means to play them.
Lmao meanwhile I played Witcher 3 on Switch that had violence and nudity
Well, given PS4's comparative sales in Japan, perhaps it does qualify as "underground" enough in his eyes.😅
@shining_nexus it’s hilarious when the game is a blatant reference to Dragon Quest which is on Switch.
Nothing says "underground" than having every game in the series on the 120,000,000 unit selling PS4
No i think so too.
I play this game on PC, man i love this series.
Addicted to Yakuza like a dragon love the RPG!
They can't be arsed porting it and they don't think they will get enough of a decent return for doing so.
Simple.
Insulting at worst. Narrow minded at best.
Makes no sense. Can I still play it on my gaming laptop? Is it available on Steam Deck? There are probably many reasons why the series is not on Switch, but this makes no sense.
Basically "we're too lazy to do a decent port".
Sony censors games while Nintendo doesn't, so his logic seems a bit backwards for me. If anything, it is the PlayStation that has become a family friendly console.
On a side note, while I enjoyed the Yakuza games, I am still not sure romanticizing and promoting one of the world's vilest, most violent and cruel criminal organizations is a good idea.
Meanwhile, No More Heroes...
This is some bull right here. Surely this isn't the real answer and he's been prepped beforehand to give some made up answer. Like, if it's not powerful enough i get it, ut people wanna play all these games portably that's the point.
Someone been taking those happy pills. Muppet
In that case you should also lock playing the game on the other consoles to night-time only. And don’t let this game on SteamDeck!
Sometimes, just saying you don’t want to do something comes off better than pretending there’s a reason for not doing it.
Aren't they ditching the Yakuza name anyway? I thought going forward they'd be calling it like a dragon.
What a shame, I feel like the series is a good fit for Switch. The older games should have no trouble running on the switch at all.
Translation: we can't be bothered porting it.
What an idiotic excuse. What a dork.
What a moron lol.
Dude would probably been better off just saying we don’t want to port games to the switch's ancient hardware so stop ***** asking.
That's a shame but every developer should have the right to choose what platform their games should be on. Even if that decision is a wrong decision
It is obvious that he just didn't want to say "The Switch isn't powerful enough". He will get slightly less criticism with this response.
I agree that this is a genre that needs to run perfectly smooth. They'd have to make it quite ugly and it already doesn't have the most detailed art direction. Toning that down would probably still turn out to be a lifeless 15fps nightmare.
This is such a shame as Switch is a much different proposition to when they got their fingers burned on Wii U.
This decision to not bring the series to Switch has cost me a pretty penny, as it was my main motivator to get a Steam Deck.
I agree. Nintendo is bright and happy and the games should reflect that. It's what's their user base wants.
He's clearly lying. It's either they are too lazy to port the game, too cheap to port the game, or they are actually living under a rock and haven't considered the demographics of other games being on the Switch. Bayonetta...
Judging by some of the responses here, it seems it wouldn't sell very well on Switch anyway.
Its ok, I dont like color turquoise and long bus rides so I dont think it would work out either..
The hell's he on about? They released all the games on the PS4, can't get much more mainstream than that. Or maybe it's more about image. PlayStation is the cool machine, it has the edgy, dark, gritty games. Adults seeking equally cool experiences play PlayStation! Switch is lame, it's the child and family machine, not cool enough for Yakuza.
Of course, he can do whatever he wants, and I've never played the series so I have no attachment, but it seems like dumb reasoning to me. Just straight up say you don't like the platform and think it sucks, it's okay man.
He's right. I know I'd get some awkward glances if I did Karaoke sessions with Majima in public! I don't doubt the Switch could run a PS3 game, like Yakuza 0, but that's the kind of game I would play at home anyway, where no one can judge me.
@ArchRex They also flopped very hard. I wouldn't be surprised if residual spite is the real reason and he's struggling to come up with a cogent excuse.
Can’t wait to play all yakuza games portable on steam deck. The genius of the deck is if i already have bought the game for pc, i can play it portable without having to pay again, like will have been if i wanted to play it on switch. No more tax portability for third party games!
Now THAT'S what I call BS!
Obviously this is just corporate speak for 'we physically can't put them on' but saying the Switch doesn't have an 'underground feel' when THIS came out less than a week ago?
....it's not a great look. Reminds me of when a spokesperson for Marvel vs Capcom Infinite defended the X-Men's exclusion by saying they were just 'functions'.
Yakuza is a big meh game to me anyway. Don’t know why everyone asks him this question. Yakuza isn’t a system seller, it’s usually a budget bin game. He’s entitled to his opinion. However, the Switch is dominating Japan and Sony raised their price on the PS5 there. Guess he wants the premium underground.
Couldn't care less about this game, but man... that guy is so full of bad excuses that it's getting extremely silly xD
Can't he just admit that he doesn't like the Switch instead of making a fool of himself?
@clianvXAi … not wasting the space on my Deck with this trash.
such a bad excuse from the devs
Ha, edgelord to the max. Because the other consoles are so "underground."
I'm willing to bet there's a Yakuza dude out there in real life sitting in some dimly lit bar, playing Animal Crossing or something on his switch.
What an awkward and bizarre take. Dude is acting like it’s still 1999.
Some of the lamest excuses. They should be open and upfront the real reasons not beat around the bushes. They are missing a big growing market share by Switch and I don't see that going away anytime soon. So if 4k Switch arrives what will be their excuses then it's not powerful to run the game.
I think I understand his point, but I totally disagree.
excuse me? Bayonetta 3 e Xenoblade Chonicles 3: i am a joke to you?
When you try really hard to be edgy but just come off sounding full of yourself 👀
Would have been just as well saying ‘sorry, Nintendo and it’s fans just aren’t cool enough to play with us’ 😂
I am pretty sure some of the Yakuza games can run on Switch, heck some were on the Wii U. This is kinda BS what he said ngl.
GTA is on Switch and that’s even more “underground” than Yakuza but then again the Yakuza are a real criminal organization.
SEGA: Sure, you can use our Bayonetta IP to make a Switch-exclusive M-rated game. Have Alien Isolation too!
Also SEGA: The Switch is too family-friendly for at the Yakuza series, sorry.
I would rather have a port of Devil’s Third than Yakuza now. That’s pretty ‘underground’ right?
i love love love the yakuza series and a switch port is the absolute dream for me so seeing this once again destroys me, man
i just hope one day, even if its the next nintendo console he changes his mind.
@JoeDiddley Thing is that even the "flop" Nintendo consoles all sold much more in North America than Japan.
But I guess they didn't think the cost of localizing the Wii U version would've paid off.
Yeah nothing says underground more than playstation, Xbox and Windows….
Those platforms are very niche.
Hahahhahahahahahahahahhahaa.
What a prize burk.
@BFahey3 I know this is a joke.. But, Yakuza did actually release on the Wii U. No not worldwide, but it did come out in Japan.
@kerplunk @
It was kind of a corny statement that sounded like it was coming from some 🤡 trying wayyy too hard to appear rad quite honestly.
@RainbowGazelle
Well, let's be honest; it doesn't seem to sell too well, get beyond niche status and keep itself out of budget bin status everywhere on the other systems either. So it wouldn't be in too unfamiliar territory if it didn't set the world on fire on the Switch as well. 🤷♂️
@Lizuka
What if you legitimately think the games do suck though? Contrary to what you might want to believe to fit into your perspective, a lot of people have more than one system (or at least access to one) these days. I certainly have systems that I can get the game on and I wouldn't ever spend the money on them. As I just thought they were whack AF. Plain and simple.
@Zeldan64fan well I guess I have to give him credit for sticking to his warped believes here.
@Serpenterror It is not a garbage series though. It's a popular one with many fans. Minority opinion.
@NWC The Yakuza games do not suck at all. They are pretty popular with the fanbase and lots of people in the West play the games.
I really want play Like a dragon but I guess it's not happening. It's a shame since I think jrpgs is best portably.
@Arawn93 not to mention the job system which is derived from Final Fantasy, also on the Switch.
It’s also turn based, which I hear is popular among Nintendo fans who play games like Octopath, Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, Bravely Default, Triangle Strategy, Pokemon, Live A Live, Tokyo Mirage, SMT 5…
How are the other platforms more underground? They‘re being sold to millions of people.
The comments here saying “it’s fine because Yakuza sucks” are hilarious. The Switch could not run these games unfortunately.
@Serpenterror untrue
@CaptainCluck Yeah comments like that are pure cope.
"W-well I didn't want you anyway!" Suuure...
I hasn't stopped M rated games like those from coming to the platform, but it hasn't exactly encouraged a wave of them either. If they really inspired confidence you'd see more of it. Unfortunately Switch has a two fold problem. System is not regarded as a good platform for M rated titles due to their queeky clean image of being a kids toy. Now Nintendo fans don't get your joycons in a drift, I'm just saying that this is the perception Nintendo has been fighting for a very long time, going on 25 years now. They have done very little to counter this view and the closest games they've come to combating that, they sold the franchises to other companies or have done very little to continue their legacy. So it is a thing today, its a sentiment I still hear from parents across the various generational demographs "its kid safe" is still something I hear even after bringing up Doom.
Second problem is the system isn't typically powerful enough to play these kinds of games. M rated games tend to be targeted at players with a high performance box to be ticked. Games that are typically difficult to back port to a Switch. Which even if the company can justify the title on Switch for its audience, they have to fight the hardware to do it. Which then results in the difficult decision of "do we cloud it or do release an inferior version that could recieve more backlash than benefit". There are gamers who swear off a company because they wronged their favorite platform and results in a decades long struggle to win that player back or keep their negative impact from influencing potentially new players. As it stands Cloud on switch isn't winning anyone bonus points, but it isn't causing any animosity to the same degree. Which is why you're seeing more RE games in the cloud than an attempt to take the remakes and put them on the platform (completely doable honestly with very few compromises, but expensive).
So while those games have made a case, most don't. MK on Switch is perhaps the worst version of the game. Not since GB version have I been more disatisfied with a portable fighter. Some how the Vita did it better. Doom is a cool tech demo, but not hte version of the game I'm going to play. Have a higher chance of that happening on Steam Deck. A platform with a version of the game with the ability to tweaked, shared with ahigher end machine, and doesn't have 'for-children' stigma attached it it.
He could also have said that Switch isn't powerful enough and we'd get under 30fps version but saying that is bad for business. Yeah, they could hire some super porting company to port it for Switch but maybe they don't want to throw money for that. How much would Yakuza sell on Switch? I don't know, propably more than those japanese only Wii U ports.
@BFahey3 funnily enough, I think they did in Japan lol
Complete nonsense. They just don't want to put in the effort to port it to Switch. It's understandable, but not being "a good fit" for the platform is dumb.
@CaptainCluck lmao there are more ambitious games on the Switch then games like Yakuza 0 lol. I bet you regurgitated that lazy cop out response for Persona 5R, Nier Automata, Etc yet here we are with those games going to Switch.
Face it: They just don’t know how to port games on Switch optimally like other groups. They should have just admitted that then come up with that BS “underground” excuse lol
That is a dumb, nonsensical reason for not bringing a series to the Switch, but it is well within their right to develop and release their games for whatever platforms they want, and ignore others of their choosing. But the fact that they come out and openly attack the Switch as a platform, even for as stupid a reason they did, seems... off. It's as if they realize people may actually want their games on the Switch... and they have to come up with some excuse not to give it to them.
They would have made more sense (though not much more) just saying that they don't feel the series would resonate with the general demographics of Switch players, compared to those of PlayStation and Xbox platforms. Still nonsense, but better than this "underground feeling" bull****.
In reality, I read their response as "we're too lazy and don't want to put the time, money, work and effort into porting our games to a console that is not known to have loads of power to make up for our own sloppy programming deficiencies and lack of care to optimize our software for adequate performance on all platforms."
Remember when Yakuza was going to release in the US for Wii U? Still crying we didn't get that oddity
@Leonhart
Maybe some people here are just coping about the games not coming to Switch. I mean, it's not a AAA series, but still way too popular to just dismiss like that.
Heck, just quickly looking at the reviews on Steam for example... Yakuza 0 has 95% positive reviews. That is amazing, only few games achieve that.
@Leonhart again the games are trash...end of story goodbye! My thoughts only matter thanks
@mikegamer U reject my opinion because it's wrong.. not it's not wrong i stated a fact and your crying about it.. go away child I reject your so called opinion because it's wrong and im right thanks the game reeked (Muted and Goodbye)
@NWC Pretty tough coming from someone who doesn't know proper grammar.
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