Last week, Yakuza 3 was confirmed for the PS3 in Japan by Sega. But the thing was that Sega had never released Yakuza 2 in the West due to the dismal performance of the first Yakuza game. Now Gamasutra is reporting that Sega is bringing Yakuza 2 to North America for the PS2 platform.
The Yakuza game had received a lot of praise as it had realistically portrayed Japanese crime families. And Yakuza 2 continued that tradition. It is based on the same storyline about the Tojo clan, which sees protagonist Kazuma go across Japan to avoid an all-out gang war between the Tojo and the rival Omi clan.
Simon Jeffery, COO, Sega of America says, “Sega’s product development strategy in North America and Europe is to create great games for Western audiences using Western developers. In addition, we have the unique benefit of being able to tap into content streams from Sega’s talented Japanese studios. We work closely with Japan to identify compelling games, such as these three titles, that we know Western audiences will enjoy.”
Besides brining Yakuza 2 to North America for the PS2, Sega will also bring to Nintendo DS – Dinosaur King and Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer to the American shores. It seems that the American gamers’ wait for the Japanese mafia game is finally over!