‘You know what’d make me feel better? If you gave me your money, pops’
[Update: A few more very minor details have come through. The games will run at 1080p and 60 FPS. They will, content-wise, be mostly unchanged from their original releases. Pre-ordering the first release, Yakuza 3 (in Japan) will also bag you the original soundtrack.]
In a move that makes complete sense, Sega have announced that PS3 titles Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5 will all be coming to PS4 in Japan within the next 12 months. The publisher made the announcement in this week’s issue of Dengeki PlayStation.
Although there are little in the way of details, these don’t appear to be ground-up remakes – like the excellent Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2 – but the remastered titles will be given a fresh coat of paint for their return, with improved resolutions and frame-rates.
The Yakuza series, now over a decade old, only really blew up worldwide with the arrival of Yakuza 0 in 2017. This was followed by successful releases of remake Kiwami and final chapter Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Now that the series has a whole new generation of fans, these remasters will allow them to experience the Kazuma Kiryu story all on one console. (Well, apart from that time he fought zombies).
Yakuza 3 is scheduled for release in Japan on August 9, with Yakuza 4 to follow in Fall and Yakuza 5 in Spring of 2019. No Western announcement was made, but given the series’ recent success, plus the fact there are already localised versions of these games available, it would be silly not to bring these great re-releases overseas.
Yakuza 3, 4, 5 being remastered for the PS4 platform [Gematsu / Ryokutya2089]