Yakuza 3 won't go west, says SEGA

By Ellie Gibson Published 30 July, 2009

US launch ruled out, "no plans" for Europe.

The third instalment in the Yakuza series isn't going to make it outside of Japan, by the looks of things.

A SEGA spokesperson told Eurogamer there are "currently no plans" to release the game in Europe.

Meanwhile, the Examiner reports that a US release has been ruled out by SEGA. Only 40,000 copies of the second game were sold over there, and the first one didn't do much better.

We imported a copy of Yakuza 3 back in May and gave it a big fat 8/10. Read the review if you're feeling wistful.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (38) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eighthours #1 3 years ago

    For God's sake. Just subtitle it up if you can't afford to redo the voice acting. With this news, and the Sonic comments today, Sega are on another planet when it comes to doing what consumers like us want.

  • andywilkie35 #2 3 years ago

    Poo, I'd have liked this

  • varsas #3 3 years ago

    Didn't they just subtitle the 2nd game? In which case I can understand them not bothering with the 3rd instalment.

  • Physically_Insane #4 3 years ago

    Why Sega? Idiots.

  • Ninja_Tino #5 3 years ago

    Probably because no one buys the games outside of Japan. I wish they would release it but it's just probably not worthwhile for them!

  • captain-future #6 3 years ago

    Stupid... if you remember HOW LOUSY the marketing for Yakuza 2 was... no wonder they sold not many copies.

    I still hope for a subtitled release in the west of Yakuza 3! It is an example of how Japanese companies flush their assets down the toilet. Unbelievable!

  • FabricatedLunatic #7 3 years ago

    Yakuza 2 was released in the West almost two years after Japan and on a console that nobody really cares about any more. It was never going to sell hundreds of thousands of copies. I can't, however, explain why the first one did so badly.

    I would buy a PS3 to play Yakuza 3 :-(

  • hiddenranbir #8 3 years ago

    This is why FM and TW are the only things keeping Sega in the biz. And even those two licences have wonked a bit since Sega took more charge.

    The fools!

  • betahoven #9 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:36:16 17-12-2011

  • menschenfracht #10 3 years ago

    @betahoven
    i agree.
    And, furthermore, there is no region lock. Japanese is fairly easy to learn, and, if you're a true otaku (probably yes), you'll import. If Sega sees 4 million Yakuza 3 copies with European Ips, they will revise their strategy, I think.

  • raion #11 3 years ago

    great. just great. and the platform being PS3, there are not many possibilities for a fansub/import scenario.

  • JonFE #12 3 years ago

    @11

    I love the smell of sarcasm in the morning :)

  • kingcrude #13 3 years ago

    they said the same about Yakuza 2 if I remember rightly

  • dominalien #14 3 years ago

    At least I know why I'm learning Japanese now.

    That and the insanely hot girl who teaches me, of course.

  • toy_brain #15 3 years ago

    Huge shame but, yea, would probably do quite badly in genuine sales.
    While the subject matter would seem easy enough to sell (gangsters! violence! pretty girls!) its execution is a little odd to many gamers not used to JRPGS, and its deeply embedded in Japanese culture - far moreso than a Tales of game, or Final Fantasy, which can make it a bit inpenetrable to anyone not interested in lerarning, or at least appreciating, the cultural nuances this game bats about without a second thought.

    Really all I can hope for is that one day Sega decides to take the basic game framework and create a game set in 'generic western civilisation' so we can all enjoy it.

  • Evolution #16 3 years ago

    I'd never even heard of Yakuza until I saw the EG review of Yakuza 2, released over here waaay after the "next gen" was well under way and I'd stopped caring about PS2 games. I went and bought the first game pretty fast after that and it's been quite enjoyable so far, though the localisation is a little odd at times. Really, people would buy them if they marketed them properly. It's nothing to do with them being bad games, nor some kind of fictional "cultural divide."

    And as has been pointed out a billion times, just do it with subtitles ffs if you want to cut costs, it's hardly detracting from the game by not including the usual cast of mostly rubbish voice overs.

  • Munkhee #17 3 years ago

    Surely it can't cost that much to subtitle the game and then release as a digital download only via PSN? Colour me officially disappointed.

  • ILOVEU #18 3 years ago

    Excuse me but how is it Sega's fault- people don't buy it, how can Sega sell it. They marketed the 1st game with an all star voice cast, it didn't work and people actually slagged them off for the all star voice cast. Most reviewers also don't even rate Yakuza anyway, they should do but they don't (I'll come back to this point). So you expect Sega to spend loads of money bringing the game over, it get ratings as high as ooooo a whole 6 or 7 out of 10, and then nobody buys it? Yeah good business sense.

    If you look at Sega's sales for the last financial year the top seller was Sonic and Mario at the olympics with 4 million sales-thats not including another 1 or 2 in Japan as Nintendo published the game there, then Iron Man with about 2.6 million sales, then Sonic Unleashed with 2 million sales. Yakuza 3 actually did pretty well and notched up 500,000 (and counting) sales in Japan alone-but as pointed out prior instalments didn't come anywhere close to these figures in the USA or Europe-hence why Sega ain't gonna bother.

    Looking at those figures does it not make it obvious why Sega behave like this? And to be honest the usual thing to do now is blame the "casual gamers" well I don't. I blame people like yourselfs -so called hardcore gamers who are full of prejudice for the brand. People who've already made their mind up before even playing Sega game"X" that its Sega, it can't be any good, Sega make Sonic, sod the fact the rest of their games are brilliant, I'm going to hate them cause of Sonic, blah blah. Case of point Valkyrie Chronicles, one of the best games I played last year and it flopped everywhere. Lets hope the new PSP version fairs better but I doubt it.

    I said I'd come back to the press and IMO most mags/websites underate Sega's games. I suspect, through a combination of corporate butt licking to companies that trade advertising and brown envelopes filled with 50 pound notes for high scores and the simple fact that most journos out there are Nintendo fans. The war between the SNES and Megadrive Drive/ Genesis obviously left deep scars for some and when confronted by a Sega title IMO many of these Nintendo fan journo's feel a childish need to underate the few good games Sega have left. For example that waste of bog roll that is Edge magazine, the so called gaming Arts magazine, never likes any of Sega's games. Case of point last year they gave Valkyrie Chronicles 7 out of 10-it gives games like the last bug riddled, badly made Tomb Raider 8 out of 10. Apart from showing that Edge is no more an arts magazine than the Daily Star does that not get accross how stupid most games magazines are, and how hopeless Sega's situation is trying to market quality games.


    My point is, the simple sad truth is that Sega's problem is not that they make bad games, its that idiot "hardcore"wont touch the good games and its been like that ever since the Saturn onwards. They will however turn up for Sonic no matter how good or bad the Sonic games are.

  • OrangesJoel #19 3 years ago

    Ah balls. That's a shame.

    It's frutrating when big expensive things like this and Project Zero 4 are left unreleased in the West, because you know there's no chance in hell those release-whatever-no-one-else-will crazies at 505 could afford to pick them up.

  • GamesConnoisseur #20 3 years ago

    PS2 millions n millions of consoles = 40,000 game and PS3 much fewer millions = risky business of not recouping anything...nothing personal and purely maths is why they are not doing it...... A darned pity. Wondered if multi-platform Inc PC would have helped? Probably not!

  • mashk #21 3 years ago

    We're still getting Shenmue 3, right?

  • Evolution #22 3 years ago

    @ILOVEU

    Isn't Valkyrie Chronicles now a big hit? Exactly the reason they are making a second game? (even if it is on the PSP).

    Also, just because it has an "all-star" cast doesn't mean they can do good voice overs in a game. It has acting on par with Dynasty Warriors.

  • Tyedyed #23 3 years ago

    quite stupid and childish of sega

  • BOBBYLUPO #24 3 years ago

    I think it's more about the success of part 1. They marketed the shit out of that game, invested in recognisable voice talent and it sold poorly. So when part 2 came out they released it subbed and with no marketing and it sold even worse.

    There's an argument that you need to speculate to accumulate, but realistically, they're within their rights to not expect 3 to shift units in the west. Bit of a pisser though.

  • dudefella #25 3 years ago

    GOD DAMN IT. FUCK. MAYBE IF YOU ACTUALLY MARKETED IT, SEGA?!??! SURE JUST GIVE US 10 MORE SHITTY SONIC GAMES INSTEAD OF THE ONE SEGA PROPERTY I ACTUALLY WANT. DIE SEGA, DIE.

  • Aretak #26 3 years ago

    Sega being shit isn't news. Maybe in 2002.

  • InvisibleCrane #27 3 years ago

    "We're still getting Shenmue 3, right?"

    Umm no, Shenmue sold like shit as well, I even made a video about it

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=zByNnZiMFi0

    Also it's nice for once to read an Elie article without half the people here going all "OMGZ, YOU SO OUSOME!!!, I WANTZ YOUR BABIEZ!!!" to her, she must get tired of that
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/09 @ 15:35

  • neonemesis #28 3 years ago

    I miss the old days where companies like Capcom would put an English language option in their Japanese-only releases (Vampire Saviour for example) so that they didn't have to push a Western release but gamers could still import the titles and understand them.

  • Hummy #29 3 years ago

    It's a real shame games like these die over here, the lack of interest killed Shenmue too.

  • Rusty_M #30 3 years ago

    awww that sucks. Loved the PSN demo (despite not understanding it) so went and bought Yakuza 1. THink i'll buy 2 after that.

    I hope they change their minds about this and I suppose Kenzan as well. I won't hold out for that though.

  • deathdealer619 #31 3 years ago

    u are having a fuckin laugh!

    No yakuza on ps3
    and no shenmue what is the point in sega now???. Fuck sonic tennis and condemned if thats all they can bring to the table thats pathetic!
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/09 @ 19:18

  • NegativeZero #32 3 years ago

    I'm wondering if this means there's a chance that a smaller localiser like Atlus or the like might have a swing at it.

    But really, did Sega actually expect Yakuza 2 to sell? Two years after the PS3 releases they put out a sequel to an unmarketed game, with no fanfare whatsoever, let alone any marketing, at a budget price. And in very limited numbers, Yakuza 2 was not an easy game to find. Of course it didn't sell. No one knew it existed!

  • djed #33 3 years ago

    frakking yakuza can stay on their frakking smurf island all they frakking want, but they'd better not move their tiny frakking behinds over here or we'll frakking end them.

    Sincerely,
    Your friendly neighbourhood teamsters at the Builder's League Union

  • Cyclone #34 3 years ago

    The (updated) Examiner article does mention that Sega has officially said anything about the game, rather the Examiner reporter was chatting to a friend in Sega's marketing department who gave his opinion. So there's still some hope that Sega America might subtitle and release it, even if it takes them a year or two. Surely even 40,000 copies would pay for a translation.

  • stan_dman #35 3 years ago

    this sounds like a little marketing move but i had to sign up and say i really enjoyed yakuza 2 but i can see why the games don't do well.
    Its not really a proper RPG, the combat is so simple even FPS nuts like me can crack this game. If your not a mad RPG'er but love ganster flicks, than you will love this game. The storyline(s) are really well scripted, and the environments absorbing and full of character. Proper rpg nutters probly give it a miss because its not 'hardcore' enuff, and normal people probly get scared cos its a rpg?just my opinion

  • ILOVEU #36 3 years ago

    Bah sorry I sounded narked in my 1st post but it chokes me up when good games like this don't get a release. We've gone back to how gaming was in the early 90's and top RPG's couldn't get a release here because of pig ignorance.

    As far as I'm aware (although I'd admit my info's a few months old now) Valkyrie Chronicles didn't sell that well in any territory, however it has done rather well out of download content that you have to pay for, so maybe that's what's paying for the sequel. Sega also released a cartoon to promote the game in Japan so who knows it might be able to reverse its fortunes but I'm not holding my breath. The piracy plagued PSP doesn't strike me as the best format to go for if you're after high sales figures.

    A lot of people don't know that "flopped" Shenmue actually sold over a million copies (all those Sega hating journos don't tell you that now do they?) however it cost 70million US dollars to make, hence why were probably never going to see a conclusion cause the budgets just too prohibative. Mores the pity. Again I have to say that if certain magazines out there didn't write so much bullplop about it Sega might have been up for it, but I think the potential market has been somewhat killed now.

  • NegativeZero #37 3 years ago

    @ILOVEU: the $70 million figure that gets quoted is for the entire franchise, not just the first game. They budgeted for multiple sequels and stuff. Had they finished the trilogy planned, it would have cost them $70 million up, but given that they binned the third game that's probably not entirely accurate.

    I doubt Yakuza cost anywhere near that figure though.

  • wanderingkid #38 3 years ago

    This is terribly bad news, I'm off to cry now ...