Sega has confirmed that Yakuza 4 will be released in Europe on March 18, and the US three days earlier.
The European release date is exactly a year after the game made its Japanese debut under the name Ryu Ga Gotoku 4 (Like A Dragon 4). The series tells the story of Kazuma Kiryu, a reluctant member of the Yakuza, who despite repeated attempts to go straight always seems to find himself busting assorted heads in Kamurocho, a fictional version of Tokyo red light district Kabukicho.
The fourth game in the series – discounting the Japan-only spin-off Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan, which was set in the 1600s – features four playable characters, with Kiryu joined by Masayoshi Tanimura, Shun Akiyama and Taiga Saejima.
Yakuza 3’s western release last year met with some controversy after it emerged Sega had removed certain elements from the game - including Mahjong and hostess clubs - that it deemed "would not resonate with western players”.
We don’t know whether to expect the same from Yakuza 4 but would hope that Yakuza 3’s strong sales have persuaded Sega that it’s worth localising lock, stock and barrel. We’ve asked Sega if that’s the case.