Last week, Sega finally announcedLost Judgment, the second installment in theYakuzaspin-off seriesJudgment. What originally started as a spin-off title set inYakuza’s dark and dirty streets of Kamurocho has now grown into its own sub-series, and Sega is going big for the sequel.
TheYakuzaseries first started to get the western market’s attention with theEnglish release ofYakuza 0in 2017. However, it wasn’t until 2020’sYakuza: Like a Dragonthat Sega started to heavily push the series in western territories, with the next-gen version of the game even launching as an Xbox Series X/S timed exclusive. It seems that Sega has spent the past few years growingYakuzaandJudgment’s western following, and it’s now culminated in many major changes approaching the release ofLost Judgment, changes that could have major implications on the next mainlineYakuzatitle as well.
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Simultaneous Worldwide Release
For western fans, one of the most exciting pieces of news forLost Judgmentis that it will be the first entry in theYakuza/Judgmentseries' to launch in Japan and western territories on the very same day. With previous entries, fans have had to wait upwards of three years for games likeYakuza 5to release in English-speaking territories. While that gap has narrowed in recent years, likeYakuza: Like a Dragon’s English releasecoming 10 months after its Japanese launch, past entries had much longer of a wait for localization. Gone are the days of fans having to avoid spoilers for months to years before they can get their hands on the games themselves.
The originalJudgmentwas also noteworthy for reintroducing English dubs to theYakuza/Judgmentgames, which later resulted inYakuza: Like a Dragonincluding one. Now, withthe trailer forLost Judgment, we have learned that these options are now a series mainstay, making the franchise even more accessible to worldwide audiences. All of this being ready for a worldwide launch on September 24 means that Sega is putting more localization work than ever into this title.
Not only will the game release worldwide on the same day, but it will also release across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, not only making it the franchise’s firstworldwide multi-platform release, but also it’s first worldwide cross-generation release. While western fans across PlayStation and Xbox got to enjoyYakuza: Like a Dragonat launch, its next-generation version was only available on Xbox Series X/S until March 2021, meaning PlayStation fans could only play the game on the PlayStation 4 (or through PS5 backwards compatibility) at launch.
While some may be disappointed that it is not launching as a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S exclusive title, it’s a smart move from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio tonot abandon PlayStation 4 and Xbox Oneplayers just yet. The studio has spent an entire generation building a huge fanbase across these platforms.
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A Stronger Yakuza 8
Another method in whichYakuza 8will likely benefit fromLost Judgment’s release is through the game’s focus on Kamurocho and Yokohama. Kamurocho has been a series mainstay since the very firstYakuzatitle, proving to be as essential (if not moreso) than its action-brawler combat systemand protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. Returning to Kamurocho as Yagami is a breath of fresh air givenLike a Dragon’s emphasis on Yokohama. However, it seems that location will play a major role inLost Judgment, with footage showcasing Yagami spending a significant amount of time there in the sequel.
While Yokohama was already an incredible location inLike a Dragon, this emphasis on fleshing it out through Yagami’s eyes could lead toYakuza 8’sdepiction of the Japanese citybeing even more detailed than seen before. It could also lead to Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio taking the time to build upon the map from both games and create some entirely new locations, including possibly creating a whole new setting for Ichiban and the gang to explore.
Sega recently confirmed thatJudgmentwill continue the beat ‘em up combat system of theYakuzaseries, while the mainlineYakuzaseries will focus onthe turn-based RPG combatintroduced inYakuza: Like a Dragon. This means that the team is likely already well at work fleshing outLike a Dragon’s gameplay mechanics to build an even tighter version inYakuza 8. WithYakuzabeing an annualized series, even fans who aren’t fond ofJudgment’s action-based combat will likely not have to wait long until the next mainline entry in theYakuzaseries.
Lost Judgmentwill release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on June 07, 2025.
