While long-time fans of the series likely know, new fans to the Yakuza series may be surprised to learn that there's a subset of samurai-era games that have never been released for English-speaking audiences. While nothing is set in stone, Yakuza series producer Daisuke Sato has now indicated that could change, and there's a chance of it being with brand new remakes.
The Yakuza series, originally titled Ryu ga Gotoku (roughly 'Like a Dragon') in Japan, isn't limited solely to telling tales of modern-day Yakuza. Kenzan and Ishin are two Yakuza spin-off games released for the PS3 that are focused around Japan's history that have never made the leap to the west.
While big Yakuza series fans have been clamoring for the opportunity to play these games for years, there was never any indication that the titles would be localized for western audiences. However, in a new interview, Sato admits that he's interested in bringing both Kenzan and Ishin to the west, which is likely to thrill said fans. However, he's concerned that the games are now too old to be appealing to players.
Instead, Sato mentions the possibility of remaking both Kenzan and Ishin for modern gaming systems and releasing those remakes in the west, instead. The two games have aged quite a bit, as Kenzan launched nearly 13 years ago, while Ishin just reached its seventh anniversary. However, nothing has been greenlit at this point, as Sato notes, "It would take additional work to produce remakes instead of simple ports. That makes the decision a little more complicated."
Remaking Kenzan and Ishin would be in keeping with the Yakuza series' other remakes, which have - thus far - been built two console generations after the initial version of the games released. With the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S now out, rebuilding both of these games for these powerful consoles could be a big boost for the series, both in Japan and the west.
Gamers have shown recently that they're ravenous for Samurai-era games, with massive titles like Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice surging in popularity over the last few years. While the Yakuza series is notorious for featuring more comedic elements than these titles, existing fans of Yakuza and newcomers to the series could likely enjoy the games, as Sato indicates that he believes they have some of the best combat the series has to offer.
Yakuza's remakes, Kiwami 1 and 2, have been widely praised by fans and critics. Remaking Yakuza Kenzan and Ishin would help the series to bypass potential problems remasters of older games can have, like the stiffness of the Yakuza 3 in the Remastered Collection release, and give players a return to a more traditional combat system following the release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon's shift to turn-based RPG combat, which is likely to please fans of the long-time beat-'em-up formula.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A PS5 port releases on March 2, 2021.