While long-time fans of the series likely know, new fans to theYakuzaseries 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,Yakuzaseries producer Daisuke Sato has now indicated that could change, and there’s a chance of it being with brand new remakes.
TheYakuzaseries, originally titledRyu ga Gotoku(roughly ‘Like a Dragon’) in Japan, isn’t limited solely to telling tales of modern-day Yakuza.KenzanandIshinare twoYakuzaspin-off gamesreleased for the PS3 that are focused around Japan’s history that have never made the leap to the west.
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While bigYakuzaseries fanshave 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 bothKenzanandIshinto 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 bothKenzanandIshinfor modern gaming systems and releasing those remakes in the west, instead. The two games have aged quite a bit, asKenzanlaunched nearly 13 years ago, whileIshinjust 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.”
RemakingKenzanandIshinwould be in keeping with theYakuzaseries' 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 forSamurai-era games, with massive titles likeGhost of TsushimaandSekiro: Shadows Die Twicesurging in popularity over the last few years. While theYakuzaseries is notorious for featuring more comedic elements than these titles, existing fans ofYakuzaand 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 1and2, have been widely praised by fans and critics. RemakingYakuza KenzanandIshinwould help the series to bypass potential problems remasters of older games can have, like the stiffness of theYakuza 3in theRemastered Collectionrelease, and give players a return to a more traditional combat system following the release ofYakuza: 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 Dragonis available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A PS5 port releases on Jul 26, 2025.
