With the recent success of Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 6 Song of Life, it seems to be smooth sailing for the franchise and for SEGA. There are some fans though that wishes for the series to make an appearance on Nintendo Switch. Like with the Japan only release of Yakuza 1 and 2 HD on Wii U.
However, Yakuza producer Daisuke Sato has reservations on this. In a interview, he explains that the first trial with Yakuza 1 and 2 HD on Wii U was a failure and is not feeling confident if it will do well on Switch. Stating that it is not an ideal system.
“To be realistic towards what happened, Yakuza 1 & 2 for Wii U was a significant failure. But our goal is still to develop cross-platform as much as possible, and we know that it brings an extra audience, that it allows us to attract more people. That being said, when it comes to Switch, I am convinced that it would not be the ideal platform on which to develop Yakuza games. Maybe the public is not expecting that kind of game on Switch. They may be used to different games. It may not be the ideal platform. Regarding Xbox One, we could consider it, knowing that Xbox One users might be more likely to be interested in a game like Yakuza. That could be an option.”
While this is reasonable, there are many factors that attribute the poor sales, like being exclusive in Japan, the declining Wii U sales, and others. Personally, I would not mind having the series on the Switch as we do not have a title that covers the beat-em-up genre. If you have not, see our reviews of the Yakuza games and why it’s a series to get into.
