Sega is making a new Yakuza game! Pretty much all we know is that it’s a Yakuza game, and it’s for the PS3 and PS4. You know what else we know? Porn stars.
Yakuza is one of the biggest PlayStation exclusive franchises in Japan. These games are incredibly popular and feature big-name talent. More importantly, they feature incredible voice acting and are well-directed. Just watch this.
In an interview with Famitsu, Sega producer Masayoshi Yokoyama said that the upcoming title will be “a game that men can most enjoy”. Um… Alrighty! Part of that assumption, it seems, is holding an online election for “sexy actresses” to appear in the game. By that, they mean adult video stars.
The game’s website has one hundred “sexy actresses” that Yakuza fans can vote for. The ten porn stars who get the most votes will be appearing in the game. The Yakuza site says that if you become friendly with them in the upcoming game, you’ll get a “secret video”. Note that you can only apparently vote for up to five candidates per day.
Not everyone in Japan is thrilled with the porno lady pandering! “Japanese-made games are so creepy,” wrote one commenter on Japanese game site Hachima. “This is a creepy game,” wrote another commenter. “Truly creepy,” chimed in another. However, many other commenters were delighted by the election, even asking for recommendations for who they should vote for. “This is good, too good,” wrote another commenter.
In the past, Sega has had nightclub hostesses, models, and a couple of pornstars appear in the Yakuza games. Considering how porn studio Soft on Demand is “presenting” this election and how most of the stars appear in SoD movies, this looks like Sega’s most blatant porn collaboration to date.
Honestly, I don’t think the Yakuza games need this, but I guess the argument could be made that at least Sega’s being up front about this in-game sexualization? Or that it’s being true to the Japanese underworld? To be fair, Sega is also holding auditions for handsome men to play in-game nightclub hosts. But instead of rolling out concrete info about the next Yakuza game, Sega is like, bam, here’s a hundred porn stars, vote!
You know another thing we know about this game? Sega probably won’t release it in the West.
最新作に出演するセクシー女優の人気投票を開催 [Ryu Ga Gotoku]
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8 responses to “One Thing We Know About This New Sega Game: Porn Stars”
To be fair, this isn’t exactly too farfetched for a country whose biggest musical group is renowned for having it’s music clutter up tips across the nation by the literal thousands, sans handshake and voting slips of course.
As for a release outside of Japan, it wouldn’t be unprecedented for Sega of all companies to withhold a game from the western market *coughphantasystaronline2cough*
Not exactly fair to label this a crazy Japanese thing. Sasha Grey was in Saints Row: The Third.
I must have missed the part where she was voted in against other porn stars and where you unlock “secret videos” of her if you become friends in the game. Oh and she’s also done mainstream television work too. There’s no problem hiring porn stars (look at game of thrones) but voting them in like this is a bit odd.
It’s about getting the gamer emotionally involved in the production process. It guarantees sales.
On top of that Japan has a pretty strong culture of objectifying women (more so than the west).
Hi
Twist he knife further, with several games in the franchise still not localised I don’t see why this would come across over those. Huge shame, its a great series. The past games all had “secret” videos, scenarios and/or messages from the hostesses, it’s nothing new. The puritanical outrage and shock that seems to.always be hand in hand with anything sex related in video games is perturbing.
Yep, and the western response will just further cement it in Sega’s mind that they shouldn’t bother localising it, for fear of a ‘feminist’ backlash. I use ‘feminist’ in inverted commas not because I am attempting to deride legitimate feminists, but rather those who insist that anything they don’t like is sexist, misogynist, etc.
Indeed. There should should be far less contention and comet over sexual content in games and more on the violence.
Why is that guy dressed like Ryo Hazuki 🙁