That Nintendo Switch users would embrace Yakuza with open arms is no secret. nearly a decade ago, the first two installments landed on Wii U thanks to a compilation in high definition. However, what was considered at the time to be evidence only got disastrous results. In his first week, Yakuza 1 & 2 HD it didn’t even reach 2000 copies in Japan, the only territory in which said project came to light. Since then, there have been various push and pull that, over time, have shown that Nintendo has reactivated its interest in having Yakuza en Switch.
A story of heartbreak and second chances
Almost 4 years ago, Tosihiro Nagoshi, at that time the most recognizable face of the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (before founding his own company), granted an interesting interview with EDGE. In it, the creative told nintendo rejected Yakuza at the beginning of the franchise. According to Nagoshi, the Japanese company was not particularly interested in the saga since, as he says, “they did not understand the reason why I had created the brand”. Since then, the interactions between the creator of the saga and the big N have been as few as tense.
A little over a year ago a translation error almost rekindles the flame between SEGA and Nintendo. Because of this typo, audiences outside of Japan thought for days that Nagoshi considered Switch was focused on teenagers and children. Nothing is further from reality. When we had a more accurate location, we were able to know that the mind behind Yakuza assured that Nintendo platforms are played by a wide range of people of different ages. In addition, regarding the latter, he added that, as a general rule, he believes that adolescents and children are the ones who get the most out of it.
This confusion was yet another carom in the special relationship between Nagoshi and Nintendo. In addition to the failure on Wii U, Nintendo’s rejection of the saga and the translation error, the creative objected to introducing characters from Yakuza in it Smash Bros de Nintendo Switch. However, this decision has a reason for being: Nagoshi doesn’t want to see Kiryu hitting women. The protagonist of the first 7 installments of the franchise stands out for following an ethical code that, as the director himself defends, involves not hitting people of another gender.
Nagoshi’s march reactivates the interest of Yakuza en Nintendo Switch
To found his own studio, the Japanese creative left the team he led within SEGA. As a result of this, the main detractor of wearing Yakuza to Nintendo Switch no longer influences the company’s plans. In recent years, Nagoshi never hid how little he was interested in launching his franchise in the hybrid. On numerous occasions, the creative assured that they did not have those plans in mind. But, now that he has left the studio, SEGA and Nintendo’s plans may be different from the original.
Since the Wii U test, users of that console and Nintendo Switch, its successor, have not heard of Yakuza. The poor reception of the release of the compilation in high definition, with 1878 units sold in one week, made the possibility of working with other parts of the franchise diluted. Since then, Yakuza It has become a reference saga that accumulates followers on all platforms.
The third, fourth and fifth installments, PlayStation 3 originals, they could work in the hybrid without problem. Y Yakuza 0the remakes of the first two games and the numbered sixth part, released between 2015 and 2017, are the same age or older than Nintendo Switch. In addition, in case of not being able to adapt, cloud game resource could always be used. Therefore, with the abandonment of Nagoshi, the return of Ryuta Ueda (an important figure in the franchise) and the interest of Nintendo, it would not be unreasonable to consider this possibility.
And you, would you like to see the saga Yakuza on nintendo switch? Do you think their games fit well into the philosophy of the console? We read you in comments.
