Yakuza 5 is coming to the West

During today’s PlayStation Experience event, we were surprised to see the announcement that SCEA and SEGA were partnering up to bring Yakuza 5 to North American and European PS3 owners via PSN. Scheduled to release in 2015, Yakuza 5 was apparently one of the most requested titles in Sony’s #Buildingthelist campaign.

For more info, check out the full press release, trailer, and screenshots below.

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Today during its keynote address at the PlayStation Experience community event in Las Vegas, Sony Computer Entertainment America announced a partnership with SEGA? of America, Inc. and SEGA? Europe Ltd. to release Yakuza 5?, the much awaited fifth installment in the critically acclaimed main Yakuza? series, on PlayStation?Network for the PlayStation?3 computer entertainment system in 2015. Yakuza 5 will make its Western debut as one of the most requested titles from the #Buildingthelist campaign, Gio Corsi, Director of Third Party Production at SCEA, announced at the event. Both companies also revealed that Yakuza? 4 and Yakuza?: Dead Souls are available on PlayStation?Network today.

A direct sequel to Yakuza 4?, the game continues the epic story of Kazuma Kiryu<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazuma_Kiryu> alongside four other protagonists, following their struggles and conflicts in the seedy underbelly of Japan?s Yakuza underworld. Featuring a new graphics engine versus its predecessor, Yakuza 5 takes players to five major Japanese cities to venture through a life of crime and power.

Yakuza 5 features more mini-games than previous titles, a modified battle system as well as enhanced customizations and interactions in the signature hostess bars of the franchise. In addition to these features, Yakuza 5 also introduces ?Another Drama? which is a series of side stories that focus on each protagonist in-depth and are separate from the main story of the game.

?The world of the Yakuza series has fascinated gamers in Japan and the West for many years,? said John Cheng, COO and President of SEGA of America. ?We know fans have been eagerly awaiting a release of Yakuza 5 here and we are thrilled to finally launch this spectacular entry in the series in North America and Europe.?