The team behind the Yakuza franchise is going to have their hands full for the next little bit as they announced 3 new titles coming in the near future. The first of which is another “Extreme” remake for the Yakuza series, Yakuza Kiwami 2.
Kiwami 2 will take the second Yakuza game and give it the same visual make-over that its predecessor received thanks to the new Dragon Engine used in Yakuza 0 and the upcoming Yakuza 6: Song of Life. Kiwami 2 will also feature new scenarios (side-missions) and the ability to play as Majima in addition to Kiryu. The game is slated for a December 7th release in Japan, however no Western release has been stated at the moment.
The second game announced by the studio was a brand new take on the “Fist of the North Star” series. The new game will see series protagonist Kenshiro embarking on an original adventure where he will travels to Eden, a small city in the hopes of finding his lost love Yuria. While still set in the post apocalyptic world of Fist of the North Star, Eden and its nearby city are small entertainment cities much like the settings of the Yakuza series.
The first trailer shows off some of the series famous over the top action, and fans of the Yakuza series will definitely get some vibes of that series combat in Fist of the North Star. Definitely looks like the better take on the franchise which has been around since 1983, and seen several adaptations including movies and video games.
The third project the team announced was a free-to-play mobile and PC game called Yakuza Online announced for a Japanese release in 2018. Set after the events of Yakuza 6, the game will follow new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga in Kamurocho, Tokyo, as he returns to the streets after 17 years in prison, looking to overtake the control the Omi Alliance has in the city. No Western release date or details about how the game will work has been given at this moment.
The next title from the studio to be release to a Western Audience is Yakuza Kiwami – a remake of the first Yakuza game redone in the Dragon Engine. After that we can expect to see Yakuza 6: Song of Life in March