SEGA knew it was taking a bit of a risk with Yakuza: Like a Dragon -- or Yakuza 7, as it's known in Japan. The latest entry in the long running series does away with its trademark action-based combat, replacing it with a turn based battle system that has been, at least in part, designed to appeal to Japan's love of traditional role-playing titles like Dragon Quest. It also features a brand new protagonist -- it's the first mainline entry to do without the iconic Kazuma Kiryu in a lead role.
However, this significant change in design doesn't seemed to have reversed Yakuza's notable decline in its homeland. Famitsu reports that in its opening week, Yakuza: Like a Dragon moved 157,000 copies. While it's a slight improvement on Judgment (148,000 copies) and Yakuza: Kiwami 2 (132,000 copies), it's still not great considering the last mainline Yakuza game, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, managed 218,000 units at launch -- an already disappointing result at the time.
The bottom line is that the franchise just doesn't seem capable of hitting the big numbers that it used to, particularly back in the PlayStation 3 era. That said, Yakuza does have a much bigger Western audience these days. SEGA will be hoping that sales in North America and Europe will pick up the slack when Yakuza: Like a Dragon launches overseas later this year.
[source gematsu.com]
Comments 32
Japanese are strange the series will be bigger in Europe in a while.
I just think this reflects the changing culture and video game market in Japan. Home consoles just dont do big numbers any more. Its all about the switch and mobile gaming
@Rob_230 Yeah if you're not Dragon Quest or Monster Hunter, good luck being a big PlayStation title. Times have definitely changed.
It's just a weird one since Yakuza was huge during the PS3 era.
I wonder if fatigue is setting in? The series is a yearly one and they're huge 60+ hour games with interconnected stories. I think it's easy to get behind and just stop caring after a game or two.
@Cassetticons I second this. I loved Yakuza 1 and 2 but I never even finished 3 and then haven't touched the series since. I'm sure they're great, but they are quite similar overall and there is far too many. Keep in mind Japan has had rven more Yakuza games then the west, including the two PSP games and the two feudal Japan games. Including the Kiwami games we're talking about 15(!?) games in 15 or so years. And as mentioned, these are not 10-20 hour linear games.
I would love to play more Yakuza but the stream is endless and relentless. Sega found a brand that worked for them and they have ran it into the ground. Sometimes it doesn't matter if the content is good.
@Cassetticons Most likely a part of it. Even here in the West, I know quite a few people who played one of the games on PS3 and now say that they just can't keep up with the series on PS4.
I think you could definitely argue that it's oversaturated at this point, and I suppose that's why they've tried to reinvent it with Yakuza 7.
Dang, I didn’t think this could happen with Yakuza. Things change I guess.
And I gotta admit, I started off with the games on PS3 then beat 0, Kiwami, and 6 but haven’t really but in much effort in Kiwami 2. And then there’s Judgement as well.
I guess it need it to be a mediocre game and on the Switch so it can do well in Japan they support anything even if it's trash if it's on Switch, I guess they feel like they support their game industry that way
I now have all the yakuza games on ps4 ,minus part 5 of the remastered collection, that is the only one not out yet.Not getting 7 because of the turned based battle.I have a feeling that turned off a lot of buyers in Japan also.Not going back to yakuza till they return to the old battle system. Its yakuza,not final fantasy ,ugh.
All the more reason for Ishin, Kenzan and the PSP game come to west.
@GKO900 Ah yes, because the West buy quality games. Our charts for the decade totally didn’t have 8 FIFA or COD games in it.
Looks like release date parity needs to be a thing at this point.
Ah, forgot to mention there is Fist of the North Star as well. So people getting burned out on Yakuza games I definitely understand.
@ShogunRok i remember it well. I was in Japan when Yakuza 3 launched. It. Was. Huge. You couldnt move for promotional material, and excitement for its release.
I was so happy when it finally made its way west. Y3 remains my favourite in the series so far (im yet to play 6, or either Kiwami game) though.
I dont know what the answer is for re-engaging Japanese audiences. The salary man culture, coupled with the size of people's homes makes the home console market difficult to justify when there is a console like the Switch that caters to their needs. Nintendo nailed it for the Japanese market this time around.
I got burnt out halfway through Kiwami but I played it off the back of the amazing Yakuza 0. Majima felt like a totally different person than he was in Zero, too.
Well, those results are thanks to Sony abandoning Japanese market and focusing on the western gaming too hard. Performing modest Vita successor in addition to the home console and not doing the censorship would be enough to slow down switch and gain at least few millions of additional sales.
@nessisonett Well that might be true but either you love it or hate it you cannot deny that COD are good games and the same can be said about FIFA the only problem is that their companies are greedy just like GameFreak is getting greedy with Pokémon too but the difference is that unlike Pokémon that looks like trash COD and FIFA at least look next generation and feel like one
@GKO900 I very much can deny that FIFA especially aren’t good games. In fact, I’d go as far to say that they’re garbage made to extort money from children. There’s no thought or care put into them and they make the NBA2K games look like a passion project. Games aren’t automatically good because of graphics and Pokemon might not be the best game on Switch but it’s a hell of a lot better than a beige sports game or generic shooter.
@nessisonett Hear, hear!
Just makes me wish we had gotten it over in the West first or at the same time. Come to me, Yakuza 7. I will love you.
@nessisonett I think your bias it's showing a lot and I don't want to defend COD or FIFA but the point is that they are good just exploited by their companies unlike Pokémon which looks bad (And don't bring the graphics aren't everything because while it's true to a certain extent this is a AAA company with millions not an indie) and they cut content just to sell it later on, so how are they any different than COD and FIFA, my point was that the Japanese market lost their good taste in gaming a long time ago now they support the same trash like in the west like Fortnite and more
@GKO900 Literally what bias? Surely by randomly slamming the Japanese for having ‘bad taste’ by liking the Switch and Pokemon that’s more of an indicator that you’re the one with a bias against the Switch? I own both PS4 and Switch and play a lot more of the PS4 because it suits my gaming habits. If I’m biased against COD and FIFA it’s because they’re primarily built on MTX and hugely soulless, with little changes across installations.
I'm going to say this is a case of Sega, as usual, mismanaging a good thing. One of the main problems Saturn had (aside from Sega underestimating how important third party support is and the moronic decision to pull a surprise launch) was Sega failed to continue franchises those of us who loved Genesis wanted to see. No Sonic 4 or good 3D Sonic game, no Streets of Rage, no traditional Golden Axe. People can say what they want about Nintendo, and it does make poor choices with certain IP, but it manages the big hitters like the Mario platformers, Kart, Smash Bros. and Legend of Zelda as close to perfect as possible. Sega had a hit with Yakuza and, instead of learning from the past and looking at how the top dogs in the industry do things, it looked to its own history of not following through with asked for sequels, did the complete opposite and flooded the market with Yakuza games. Japan moving away from home consoles has also hurt but to be completely honest I don't think numbers would be much better on Switch. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if they were lower.
Sega is a top 5 favorite company of all-time for me and Yakuza my favorite modern-day franchise but can't deny a certain truth that I've seen going back to the latter years of the Genesis era and transition to the 32-bit gen... This company just doesn't know how to properly handle and manage success and it's why I get concerned about Sega's future. Another favorite of mine, Capcom, was looking real bad at the start of this gen and turned things around so hopefully Sega can eventually figure things out.
@RudeAnimat0r Same here. Love the characters and stories but I've only played three Yakuza games so far - 1, 2, and 3. Like you, I didn't finish the third one as well.
@nessisonett Please dont talk about the West im still ashamed for the European list.
That is fine. And that topped the chart.
Yakuza 6 “disappointing result at the time” ended up being a global hit with the best launch of the franchise in the US and UK.
Also PS3 had almost 11 million install base in Japan.
@nessisonett Yes, actually the West buys tons of quality games.
There would not be a Last Of Us, HZD or GOW if not for the West money. Or a Witcher, a Skyrim... There would not be a decent racing game except for garbage Kart racing.... or a HellBlade, or a story driven FPS like METRO
Who buys Disco Elysium, or a Hollow Knight?. We keep most of the indie community running (Not just about what is #1 on a Decade chart)
The top 10 games of 2019 in Japan are all CARTOONS!... it is the most Monotone chart in the world!. Not to mention most Digital Artist in Europe/US publishers would be unemployed.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/01/switch_takes_nine_of_japans_top_ten_best-selling_games_of_2019
Well, I think article is ignoring a few key facts. I don’t think the console market is the bigger factor here. Nobody wanted a turn-based Yakuza game. I think that (and maybe an ugly protagonist a little) is the bigger factor here. They made bad decision. 2. How many Yakuza games have we seen lately? Maybe instead of putting out the turn-based Yakuza game we didn’t want, they should let the series rest after for a little while. You wrapped up one saga and has so so many games in that Saga. Maybe there’s fatigue too.
I have no why Japan’s changing market is the only thing mentioned here when there are so many other, probably more important issues here.
And that's what you get for changing the core combat in a mainline title.
@Shirayuki Honestly I could never get fatigued. I'm a newcomer and played all remaked mainline titles except for the remastered 3, 4, and 5. The stories always keep me interested along with it's combat. Call me crazy but I seriously wouldn't mind if they just kept it in Kamurocho and made new areas around it.
@Shirayuki I've seen plenty of JRPG fans defend it with some of the most dumb excuses. For example, "The game's gotta have change ya know? You don't want to be playing the same game now do you?"
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