Yakuza Ishin 1

Yakuza Ishin is definitely coming to a PlayStation platform, but we still don’t know which. The game – which was announced in Japan last week – will be featured in an upcoming issue of Dengeki PlayStation, confirming that the franchise will continue its association with Sony’s systems. Despite launching the title’s official website today, though, SEGA hasn’t revealed which of the current (or upcoming) consoles it will actually deploy on.

We suspect that the company’s caginess indicates that it will be a PlayStation 4 game – perhaps a launch window title in Japan. While the platform holder has focused heavily on the system’s Western lineup, very few Eastern games have been announced at this stage. Yakuza is an enormous franchise in the Land of the Rising Sun, and this is the kind of title that the manufacturer would like to make a splash about – say, during a Tokyo Game Show press conference or something.

Much like Yakuza: Kenzan, the game itself will see series veteran Kazuma Kiryu assume the role of two historical figures: Ryoma Sakamoto and Hajime Saito. Despite being different people in real history, director Toshihiro Nagoshi and crew are taking liberties with fact. Kotaku speculates that a mid-game twist may see the character change identity, augmenting the opportunity to explore two different plotlines.

The game doesn’t scream next generation in the screenshots embedded below, but it’s certainly a step ahead of what we’ve come to expect from the PlayStation 3 and Vita. Add to that the fact that Nagoshi recently said that Yakuza 5 would be his last PS3 title, and we reckon that this is your first glimpse at Yakuza on PS4.

[source ryu-ga-gotoku.com, via kotaku.com, neogaf.com]