Sure, it’s on PC now, but the Yakuza series is synonymous with three generations of PlayStation consoles. And for good reason: Nintendo and Microsoft had their chance, but simply weren’t interested in the Japanese gangster saga.
The latest issue of Edge magazine has an enormous interview with series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, where he reveals for the first time that not only were two of the three big platform manufacturers not keen on his idea for a series, his own paymasters at Sega weren’t either.
Having gone over his own boss’ heads to pitch Yakuza directly to Sega’s new owners Sammy—a move he admits was “highly irregular and quite wrong”—Nagoshi says “I’ve never said this before, but while we released this game with Sony, I’d done presentations about it to Microsoft and Nintendo. Back then they said ‘No we don’t want it’. Now they say, ‘We want it!’ (laughs) They didn’t understand the reason why I created it.”
Part of that reason was a desire to move away from a trend in Japanese game development at the time which was trying to cater to a more global audience.
“… I abandoned the idea of selling worldwide”, he remembers. “Next, I decided I wouldn’t mind if female players didn’t like the game; then that no children were allowed. When I decided all that, the only target left was the Japanese male.”
Sounds crass when laid out like that, but it’s hard to argue with success; the Yakuza games have grown into one of Sega’s most popular and successful assets, to the point where the series’ history is being remastered and re-released at a furious pace to keep up with the growing demand.
There’s way more to the interview, which you can find in the latest issue of Edge magazine. I’d link it/them, but all that remains of the mag’s online presence is this hub, which is a sad and undeserved thing.
Thanks Eolz @ Resetera!
Comments
9 responses to “Yakuza Was Also Pitched To Nintendo & Microsoft”
Currently playing yakuza 0 on ps4. Great game with good story telling. Can’t wait to play more.
Game is not a graphical powerhouse my any stretch. Would do well once the switch
Spoiler alert on that gif please assholes
Seeing as that footage was in the official launch trailer for the game, I don’t think they’re spoiling anything that isn’t already out there.
How is that a spoiler?
cuz
i fought the bloke at the startand now i know hes gonna zoom at me in some sewer at some point in time.Spppppoiled
That shot is in almost every promo vid I’ve seen for the game dating back to the Japanese release. Zoomzoom
Stop crying. Daycare is expensive.
Nintendo more than likely passed on it due to its adult content.
And Microsoft passed on it because it does not understand the Japanese gaming market at all.
Conkers Bad Fur Day released first on the N64. Where you fought a giant singing poo, had to tickle a flower to bounce of her huge breasts, pissed on enemies and had to embarrass a giant with a small penis. Before that though, yeah, no violence.