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[Rainy Dog]

Smashing OT, great stuff.

Gutted I'll probably never be able to play this

 

[ShogunDarius]

Verendus suggested this game was getting localised, assuming he is right, why aren't sega/Sony saying it is? You think they want to say there's an exclusive coming out for the system as at retail there's not much in the way in exclusives compared to the one

 

[kuroshiki]

Verendus suggested this game was getting localised, assuming he is right, why aren't sega/Sony saying it is? You think they want to say there's an exclusive coming out do RT he system as a retail there's not much in the way I'd exclusives compared to the one

Because it is not getting localized.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

For those wondering about the PS3 vs PS4 difference. There honestly isn't much.


PS3 screens = mine
PS4 screens = fellow gaffers

Biggest difference is in the frame rate for sure.

 

[ShogunDarius]

Because it is not getting localized.

So Verendus is either wrong or lying?

 

[Aarglefarg]

What are the Yakuza games about? I've never played a single one, but this samurai setting looks interesting. Is it like GTA?

It's not like GTA. At least the Yakuza games I've played (3, some of 4, Dead Souls): You can't drive around, you can only fight people if they picked a fight with you, and the fights are specialised around 3D brawler combat (pick up objects, say bicycles, and attack enemies with those, there are some QTEs). Yakuza games are much more story-driven and cutscene-heavy.

The average gameplay when exploring the city is where you run around doing sidequests, talking to people (text boxes), people sometimes pick a fight with you (random battle) and it warps to a fighting mode with people standing around watching the fight blocking you in.

I think they are both great series and they could complement each other with their different approaches.

 

[DarkLordMalik]

So Verendus is either wrong or lying?

I don't trust Verendus, and you shouldn't as well.

Basically he is more wrong than right. I don't have any doubt that he is 'insider' with ties in the industry but he needs to make sure to double source these rumors before posting them here.

 

[li bur]

Do the game have seamless battle? Or is it like the other games in the series where there is transition before every battle?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Do the game have seamless battle? Or is it like the other games in the series where there is transition before every battle?

It's more seamless than ever now. With random encounters, all you have to do is wait through a text overlay of the enemy type to appear and disappear before the battle begins. No loading screen or camera tricks.

 

[Xater]

This game looks great. I don't get Sega. I bet the samurai stuff would be an easier sell in the west. Also had they localized it in a timely fashion they could have taken advantage of the lack of software on the new systems.

 

[ShogunDarius]

I don't trust Verendus, and you shouldn't as well.

Basically he is more wrong than right. I don't have any doubt that he is 'insider' with ties in the industry but he needs to make sure to double source these rumors before posting them here.

I wouldn't say I trust him, I just know he has a rep of an insider here, I don't know how accurate his track record is. Regardless he is the only insider saying a Yakuza game is coming

 

[adamsapple]

For those wondering about the PS3 vs PS4 difference. There honestly isn't much.


PS3 screens = mine
PS4 screens = fellow gaffers

Looks like literally the same game running at different rendering resolutions. The yakuza games on PS3 have always looked good (maybe besides the very obvious sub HD in Yakuza 3 during game play).

 

[Parakeetman]

Is it cheaper on PSN store vs retail?

Generally PSN is almost never cheaper than retail since the prices of new games on PSN are closer to the SRP than retail copies are.

 

[Sgblues]

My idea was to try and sell this game to new players by changing the thread title so it compares it to games they may already may be familiar with and then give them an immediate idea of the setting. How would that push away new fans exactly? Do you just quote posts at random?

I was talking about your "Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin |OT| No Hablo Ingles" thread title, I'm sure that would have gotten people interested and check the thread.

And I know who, I'm quoting and why so I don't do so at "random".

 

[luffeN]

Localization requires more effort, manpower and cost than a lot of people realize. If Sega doesn't feel localization and foreign release would be worth the added cost, they won't do it.

Hmm, what do you reckon it would cost? Subtitling it would be enough in my opinion. Leave the voices in Japanese, translate it to English and maybe German and be done with it. The problem is that you have to Go Japanese -> English -> Other languages. I am not sure there are many people who can do Japanese -> Their mother tongue, but there are a lot localizers who can do English -> Mother tongue.

I would need to know the word count to give a relative fair estimate of what it would cost to localize it to one language. Setting the subtitles correctly is another thing, as somebody on the Yakuza team would have to do it.

 

[foomfoom415]

Don't forget that in addition to the actual translation (which given the amount of text in a RgG game would be significant even just for Japanese to English) there's also a need to do localization testing. Even without localized audio this is a huge cost, especially for a text and menu heavy game like this, and two consoles means essentially twice the testing costs for each language they decide to do. During the entirety of the translation and testing phase, a certain subset of developer resources will need to be allocated to the project. I hesitate to try and put a figure on it, but it isn't something that can be farmed out to a few in-house translators and expect for a finished product before 2016.

There's no way to be sure what's going on inside Sega, but there are definitely ways that the process could be done for much cheaper. If the initial game is built with localization in mind by a development team keyed in to localization's unique requirements, then the cost could be shrunken dramatically. But with the development and release schedules these games seem to be on, localization really feels like an afterthought, and in that situation it's always going to cost an arm and a leg.

 

[Parakeetman]

Hmm, what do you reckon it would cost? Subtitling it would be enough in my opinion. Leave the voices in Japanese, translate it to English and maybe German and be done with it. The problem is that you have to Go Japanese -> English -> Other languages. I am not sure there are many people who can do Japanese -> Their mother tongue, but there are a lot localizers who can do English -> Mother tongue.

I would need to know the word count to give a relative fair estimate of what it would cost to localize it to one language. Setting the subtitles correctly is another thing, as somebody on the Yakuza team would have to do it.

It would be very expensive regardless due to all the factors involved. Its not just a matter of translating text and wishing upon a star that it appears in the game. What you speak of is not "localization" but translation. There is a difference. Translating the text is just a part of the whole overall localization process. The translated text existing alone is not enough to get a game localized for said region(s).

I had posted this in the trailer thread, since a similar conversation came up.

It doesnt matter as regardless you still need the actual team who worked on the software itself to input all of the data into the game along with dealing with any sort of issues that arise during said localization process. If those people are busy working on another project its not exactly possible to localize a complex title like this.

Localization is not just translating text. There are lots of other things which is required to get a game localized in a different language that involves quite the collected effort to get done.

While not the exact same situation as its a bit of a mixed project I can give you a personal example.

We needed to work with the various programmers within X company for project with Y company that held the IP and the smaller groups that are contracted with Y company that are providing resources for the title in the works. Then there is the translation team that works on the various language translations for the product. All the separate languages are collected and put into a master file which is given to the programmers within company X who work on implementing it in game. Any sort of issues with actual graphical text such as icons and what nots have to go through the graphical teams and also at the same time depending on the material used be approved for use due to copyright and such. Then there is another group of programmers who are under the contract of company Y that is dealing with all of the network coding for said product and that has to be coordinated with the programmers within team X and testing is carried out by a different group under company Y. Testing goes on in both X and Y companies with their QA teams along with other outside contracted ones for the various languages. Then there is the whole mess of things like the TRC which for example is required by Sony with their games and contains things such as proper terminology, button use / functionality, system messages etc. The other companies have something similar but those who have worked in the industry and dealt with sony stuff would know about the Technical Requirements Checklist. Those who deal with the translations and the QA testers also should know this well as they have to deal with making sure proper terminology and related matters are all correct and QA has to be sure everything is in the game correctly. Then there is more complex matters which the programmers and others involved with the project need to go over.

Anyways as a mess of that is with the paragraph above its just a small example of all the various things going on with localization from my own experience when I was still within the industry. No dont ask me who I worked for and what game it was as will not answer those questions, but 2 mods here can confirm that Im not BSing which Im sure will not be necessary. As this pretty much is the first time Im actually speaking out on the forums and prefer to not actually talk in public like this. But its the best real world example that I can give that shows localization just is not translating text alone which is a common misconception for whatever reason and there are many things involved from various angles which must be considered and worked on by various parties involved.

In closing at least thats how I look at the situation from what I consider to be the localization process.

For those who dont want to bother reading all of that above heres a shorter explanation from wikipedia. And even then the following below does not really give a good example of just how much work is involved with getting a title localized.

Game localization or game globalization refers to the preparation of video games for other locales. This adaptation to the standards of other countries covers far more than simply translation of language. There are different areas, such as linguistic, cultural, hardware and software, legal differences, graphics identity and music. Globalization refers to general Eastern/Western variations, while localization refers to several regional sub-divisions within the globalization.

The following below is another previous post made with serious thoughts in regards to the chances of Ishin getting localized / thought process behind it.

Actually you might have the chance considering one reason why the west didnt get Y5 yet is due to they had started development of Ishin right after 5. That was what Nagoshi had said in an interview I do believe.

Considering the sales numbers in the West of the PS4 most def Sega will want to get it out there to take advantage of the situation and Sony am sure will want to push them to do so considering its an exclusive title which Sony does need more of in the West.

The big plus for Sega is that the game is a standalone story so you dont need any previous knowledge of the series so attracting new customers should not be problem, then it brings in new fans who will buy the other previous titles.

After Ishin has launched then perhaps they would consider working on 5 depending on how Ishin does and release that next. After that consider about the HD edition for 1 & 2 for a digital release.

At least thats the most logical plan of attack anyways, but we all know logic is one thing Sega has been lacking lately.

Though to add a bit more in later problem with the RGG 1 & 2 HD is that 1 its a bit different from the original one which was released in the US as the US version was dubbed. Therefore they would need to rework all of the text back into the HD version among other things related with the long process, which is another potential reason why they never thought about bringing RGG 1 & 2 HD to the west, but that does not write it out of the overall plan if the following above actually is successful.

Real question is just how much money does Sega have put aside for such a project. Also if Sony can assist them with some funding to get it to the west if that is even possible to help change their minds. As the main stopping point is really money.

*Edit

People are right though with the comments about that there is a window of opportunity right now for Sega and if they dont ride that wave they will miss it. Which also would cause the potential localization of Yakuza 5 to slip away further. Unless they had planned to do 5 after finishing Ishin, though it would not make sense financially as people who would buy it are just existing fans of the series that have been following it for some time now and it would be difficult to draw in more new consumers, where as Ishin can as its a standalone product.

 

[Shadowman16]

Does someone have a Heat move list for the demo? I've managed to pull off the following but wondered if there were more moves:
Sword/Gun combo:
Triangle as an enemy attacks (cool counter attack)
Triangle while enemy is on the ground

Sword Only:
Triangle against enemy (standard 3 hit heat move)
Triangle when enemy is against the wall
Triangle when enemy is knocked down

Any:
Triangle when near water - knock the enemy in the water for an instant KO.

I've checked the Japanese wiki but that doesn't have a heat move list as of yet.

 

[luffeN]

It would be very expensive regardless due to all the factors involved. Its not just a matter of translating text and wishing upon a star that it appears in the game. What you speak of is not "localization" but translation. There is a difference. Translating the text is just a part of the whole overall localization process. The translated text existing alone is not enough to get a game localized for said region(s).

Yes, I know, but very expensive is not something concrete. Very expensive for some can be 200 dollars while for others it's 200,000 dollars. I believe it is well within their budget to get English subtitles and be done with it. I just speak about text. No voice overs, nothing, just the text appearing in the game.

As I wrote before, get the text localized, e.g. translated with linguistic aspects of the target region in mind, and add the subtitles to the game plus menus and stuff. I am sure that it will be worth the cost, but we would need to know the wordcount to get an estimate.

Edit: Reading through the rest of your post that is certainly a complex process, but I guess with some forefought it could be a lot easier?

Don't forget that in addition to the actual translation (which given the amount of text in a RgG game would be significant even just for Japanese to English) there's also a need to do localization testing. Even without localized audio this is a huge cost, especially for a text and menu heavy game like this, and two consoles means essentially twice the testing costs for each language they decide to do. During the entirety of the translation and testing phase, a certain subset of developer resources will need to be allocated to the project. I hesitate to try and put a figure on it, but it isn't something that can be farmed out to a few in-house translators and expect for a finished product before 2016.

There's no way to be sure what's going on inside Sega, but there are definitely ways that the process could be done for much cheaper. If the initial game is built with localization in mind by a development team keyed in to localization's unique requirements, then the cost could be shrunken dramatically. But with the development and release schedules these games seem to be on, localization really feels like an afterthought, and in that situation it's always going to cost an arm and a leg.

Yes, that is also true. It depends on how the game was made in the first place. I think that if you "just" translate it accordingly and put the subtitles in, that it should suffice for the fans that would buy the English subtitled version. Localization testing would be a plus, but again depending on how the text appears and if it is "easy" to just swap the text, it could be relatively effective cost wise.

 

[ShogunDarius]

It would be very expensive regardless due to all the factors involved. Its not just a matter of translating text and wishing upon a star that it appears in the game. What you speak of is not "localization" but translation. There is a difference. Translating the text is just a part of the whole overall localization process. The translated text existing alone is not enough to get a game localized for said region(s).

I had posted this in the trailer thread, since a similar conversation came up.



For those who dont want to bother reading all of that above heres a shorter explanation from wikipedia. And even then the following below does not really give a good example of just how much work is involved with getting a title localized.



The following below is another previous post made with serious thoughts in regards to the chances of Ishin getting localized / thought process behind it.



Though to add a bit more in later problem with the RGG 1 & 2 HD is that 1 its a bit different from the original one which was released in the US as the US version was dubbed. Therefore they would need to rework all of the text back into the HD version among other things related with the long process, which is another potential reason why they never thought about bringing RGG 1 & 2 HD to the west, but that does not write it out of the overall plan if the following above actually is successful.

Real question is just how much money does Sega have put aside for such a project. Also if Sony can assist them with some funding to get it to the west if that is even possible to help change their minds. As the main stopping point is really money.

*Edit

People are right though with the comments about that there is a window of opportunity right now for Sega and if they dont ride that wave they will miss it. Which also would cause the potential localization of Yakuza 5 to slip away further. Unless they had planned to do 5 after finishing Ishin, though it would not make sense financially as people who would buy it are just existing fans of the series that have been following it for some time now and it would be difficult to draw in more new consumers, where as Ishin can as its a standalone product.

I see.

I know this is totally unrealistic but part of me wishes all Japanese games were released with English subtitles.

 

[Torraz]

My PS 4 copy shipped yesterday. Hope it will arrive Tuesday - Wednesday, (and that the PS 4 is truly region free...)

 

[Parakeetman]

I see.

I know this is totally unrealistic but part of me wishes all Japanese games were released with English subtitles.

It generally doesnt happen as its extra work / cost added for no apparent reason. While sales are still sales, that does not matter much to the higher ups who will be wondering why they are adding in a language that is not necessary within their own sales region which is increasing the production costs.

Plus just subtitles alone and not having everything else translated would also be a waste in general.

Though there have been instances in the past with the "Asian" releases of Japanese titles that have either been translated or had subtitles. But Im not too familiar with what those titles are, though folks have talked about such things here on GAF before. One prime example though which was pretty famous was the fact Demons Souls the Asian version was in English. Granted it wasnt perfect it was better than folks trying to play through the Japanese version.

Yes, I know, but very expensive is not something concrete. Very expensive for some can be 200 dollars while for others it's 200,000 dollars. I believe it is well within their budget to get English subtitles and be done with it. I just speak about text. No voice overs, nothing, just the text appearing in the game.

As I wrote before, get the text localized, e.g. translated with linguistic aspects of the target region in mind, and add the subtitles to the game plus menus and stuff. I am sure that it will be worth the cost, but we would need to know the wordcount to get an estimate.



Yes, that is also true. It depends on how the game was made in the first place. I think that if you "just" translate it accordingly and put the subtitles in, that it should suffice for the fans that would buy the English subtitled version. Localization testing would be a plus, but again depending on how the text appears and if it is "easy" to just swap the text, it could be relatively effective cost wise.

Unless you are an actual company that can provide services that aid in the localization process and have the manpower / work history to back it up the chances of Sega even letting you have a sit down with them would be slim to none without any sort of internal connections. On top of that the chances that they already have a studio that they work with for such things Id say exists.

 

[Parakeetman]

double posted. apologies to everyone. this is what I get for working with 2 windows open trying to merge stuff and forgetting to do so. :/

*edit moved comment to post above.

 

[luffeN]

It generally doesnt happen as its extra work / cost added for no apparent reason. While sales are still sales, that does not matter much to the higher ups who will be wondering why they are adding in a language that is not necessary within their own sales region which is increasing the production costs.

Plus just subtitles alone and not having everything else translated would also be a waste in general.

Though there have been instances in the past with the "Asian" releases of Japanese titles that have either been translated or had subtitles. But Im not too familiar with what those titles are, though folks have talked about such things here on GAF before. One prime example though which was pretty famous was the fact Demons Souls the Asian version was in English. Granted it wasnt perfect it was better than folks trying to play through the Japanese version.

Yeah, a bit of a miscommunication on my part. By subtitling I also meant the text that appears in the boxes and so on.

The Demons Souls example is that what I am trying to say xD Make it so that it is playable. You don't really need the best English to enjoy a game, although with a story driven project it would sure help, but decisions have to be made

Unless you are an actual company that can provide services that aid in the localization process and have the manpower / work history to back it up the chances of Sega even letting you have a sit down with them would be slim to none without any sort of internal connections. On top of that the chances that they already have a studio that they work with for such things Id say exists.

There are some companies that do good work but getting in contact is probably the hardest part, I agree.

 

[Parakeetman]

Yeah, a bit of a miscommunication on my part. By subtitling I also meant the text that appears in the boxes and so on.

The Demons Souls example is that what I am trying to say xD Make it so that it is playable. You don't really need the best English to enjoy a game, although with a story driven project it would sure help, but decisions have to be made

The unfortunate thing though is still all the work behind getting said text into the game along with licensing and other issues still exists. These things need to be planned out ahead of time and proposals made for budget approval and such.

Which is why cant really have shoot from the hip type of work going on when it comes to the overall process.

 

[BlackClouds]

People need to just accept Sega has no plan or expectation of reinvorating the Yakuza franchise in the west for various reasons that they need to respect like really embarassing sales. I sold my Yakuza copies to ebay and I'm fine with it. I also find it laughable folks are thinking of ways the game should be translated on the cheap, when it's a big retail franchise in Japan. Way to go in reinforcing to people in the West that it's a lowly game not worthy of attention, like that'll work. Sad to say the west doesn't want this, a few thousand people withstanding.

 

[luffeN]

People need to just accept Sega has no plan or expectation of reinvorating the Yakuza franchise in the west for various reasons that they need to respect like really embarassing sales. I sold my Yakuza copies to ebay and I'm fine with it. I also find it laughable folks are thinking of ways the game should be translated on the cheap, when it's a big retail franchise in Japan. Way to go in reinforcing to people in the West that it's a lowly game not worthy of attention, like that'll work. Sad to say the west doesn't want this, a few thousand people withstanding.

As you wrote, it is a big retail franchise in Japan, but we are talking about bringing it to the west, where it does not sell as good. Translated "on the cheap" does not necessarily mean that it will be broken English. I don't understand how you come to the conclusion if the game is only subtitled that it is a lowly game? People often crave for original voice overs and that part is covered by "just" adding localized text.

 

[Kaizer]

Currently learning Japanese and while I too look forward to Sega maybe one day bring Yakuza back to the West, I also can't wait to pick these games up on the cheap in a few years and finally be able to play them with no need for translation.

I played through a decent chunk of Yakuza Kenzan using a guide, so who knows, maybe someone will make one for this game as well in the future.

 

[Shengar]

Ryu ga Gotoku series definitely isn't series that can be cheaply localized. It is very Japanese in any kind of the way. Too many context and culture involved that might be difficult for anyone who isn't fan of the series or a Japanese culture enthusiast to understand what actually going on within the story. This is why I never hold any grudge on Sega for not bring this to the west and learn Japanese.

Spoiler

Though I don't when I'll be able to play this and Kenzan without a guide. I'm just learned 35 kanjis so far lol

 

[Zafir]

Currently learning Japanese and while I too look forward to Sega maybe one day bring Yakuza back to the West, I also can't wait to pick these games up on the cheap in a few years and finally be able to play them with no need for translation.

I played through a decent chunk of Yakuza Kenzan using a guide, so who knows, maybe someone will make one for this game as well in the future.

I'm sure a guide will come out. There usually is, 5 has one as well. I imported Yakuza 5 just the other week, so I'll probably give playing it a try at some point.

Honestly, I think if Sega were to choose one game to localise, I think they should just do Ishin. If only because, it's a PS4 game and there isn't many PS4 games about, it'll at least get some sales from people who need more games for their PS4. I don't hold out much hope these days though.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I'm just sayin', it's a captive audience. PS4 owners don't exactly have a wealth of interesting games to play, and there's essentially nothing from Japan right now. Plus, the samurai setting is distant enough from Yakuza that it could totally work in the US. There's just no justice

And using a translation guide really isn't much of a solution. I've never found playing a game that way to be even remotely enjoyable...

 

[Zafir]

And using a translation guide really isn't much of a solution. I've never found playing a game that way to be even remotely enjoyable...

Well, I don't particularly enjoy having to turn to my computer screen every second to check what they're saying, but at this stage, there isn't much of a choice. ^^

 

[Kaizer]

I'm just sayin', it's a captive audience. PS4 owners don't exactly have a wealth of interesting games to play, and there's essentially nothing from Japan right now. Plus, the samurai setting is distant enough from Yakuza that it could totally work in the US. There's just no justice

And using a translation guide really isn't much of a solution. I've never found playing a game that way to be even remotely enjoyable...

With Kenzan, it wasn't that bad actually, since there was a guy on YouTube who had went through the trouble of translating every cutscene and providing subtitles. I just always had my iPad with me and would have the guide open during gameplay, then I'd switch over to YouTube to watch the translated cutscenes whenever they popped up in the game.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Well, I don't particularly enjoy having to turn to my computer screen every second to check what they're saying, but at this stage, there isn't much of a choice. ^^

The choice is easy for me.
Not getting the game at all.

 

[Endo Punk]

The only way I see Ishin coming to the West is if Sony takes the loss instead of SEGA.

 

[Red Blaster]

rather foolish that sega isn't trying to take advantage of the ps4's combination of a thirsty, active fanbase and relatively sparse release schedule for the spring/summer

 

[Jotaka]

rather foolish that sega isn't trying to take advantage of the ps4's combination of a thirsty, active fanbase and relatively sparse release schedule for the spring/summer

The fan base is not that big in my opinion. People keep telling themselves that the base is big in the west when it is not.

 

[grap3fruitman]

And I know who, I'm quoting and why so I don't do so at "random".

You quoted my text in this thread, ignored it entirely, and responded to something I had to say in a different thread? Sounds pretty random to me.

rather foolish that sega isn't trying to take advantage of the ps4's combination of a thirsty, active fanbase and relatively sparse release schedule for the spring/summer

I think the people "thirsty" enough are in this thread and importing. So Sega's getting their money already.

 

[R_thanatos]

Biggest difference is in the frame rate for sure.

i played both demos ( PS3 & PS4 ) and the game wasway more playable ( and enjoyable on pS4 ) thanks to the framerate ..i had hoped that the draw distance would be better , but it's not just sharper.
The lightning also need a bit of work ..and even then the game is gorgeous. in his effects ( ink effects .. i love the ink effect )

 

[Red Blaster]

The fan base is not that big in my opinion. People keep telling themselves that the base is big in the west when it is not.

You quoted my text in this thread, ignored it entirely, and responded to something I had to say in a different thread? Sounds pretty random to me.


I think the people "thirsty" enough are in this thread and importing. So Sega's getting their money already.

you missed my point

now is the absolutely best time to release a yakuza title in the west given the auspicious situation the ps4 is in, people are looking for shit to play on their new console.

 

[grap3fruitman]

I didn't miss your point, I simply disagree with it. Unfortunately, I still don't believe the game will sell well enough to justify the cost of localization even with the lack of available software on the platform right now. Financially, Sega's best interests, as a business, would be to only count on sales in Japan right now and any imports by Westerners are just a bonus.

 

[UnluckyKate]

Sega official response to westerns Yakuza fans :

 

[Big_Al]

I thought the only reason Yakuza didn't get any more localisations was due to Dead Souls sales. I could have sworn I read somewhere that Sega were happy with Yakuza 3 and 4 sales and whilst not doing gangbusters did enough to justify their costs. Will try to find the link but maybe it was all in my head

 

[raebodep]

I thought the only reason Yakuza didn't get any more localisations was due to Dead Souls sales. I could have sworn I read somewhere that Sega were happy with Yakuza 3 and 4 sales and whilst not doing gangbusters did enough to justify their costs. Will try to find the link but maybe it was all in my head

They were happy with yakuza 3 sales but 4 bombed.

3 did well because it got a lot of advertisement due to the controversial cuts but 4 didn't get much advertisement.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

I agree that having Ishin on deck for PS4 would have probably been a good financial decision, especially since it's not directly tied to anything so interested people wouldn't have to worry about continuity, and from what I've played of the demo so far, it's easier to get into than mainline series entries. The game is relatively text heavy for an action game though, so Sega may not have seen localization costs being worth it (although I think they would have been).

 

[foomfoom415]

you missed my point

now is the absolutely best time to release a yakuza title in the west given the auspicious situation the ps4 is in, people are looking for shit to play on their new console.

The problem (or *a* problem) is that even given a theoretical Sega or Sony that is enthusiastic about getting this out in the West while PS4 gamers are hungry for a new game, is that the localization schedule for a game like this would probably be in the order of months and months. Probably 8-10 months absolute bare minimum, and that's a rushed translation and barebones localization testing that may not be sufficient to get through it first party submission. I doubt the Japanese version was final enough that any preliminary localization could have begun more than a couple months ago. And more realistically given past Yakuza titles, probably wasn't even seriously considered until well after the launch of the Japanese versions. A Western release would be realistically at least a year delayed and by then the PS4 arena will have a lot more big name titles for a Yakuza: Restoration to go up against.

I'm not saying it wouldn't or couldn't happen, just that the notion that now would be an ideal time to release a localized version is a conversation that would have needed to happen something like 2 years ago to be feasible, and that's probably not something that did happen.

 

[Oichi]

I would love for each entry in this series to be localized, but being in the localization business, I know how epic of an undertaking this would be even if they didn't localize the voices. There's soooo much you'd have to change. Tons of menu layouts would have to change, not to mention a crazy amount of textures you'd have to worry about too. I can understand why Sega wouldn't want to localize this game, it'd just be way too expensive. Far more expensive than anyone would imagine, really.

 

[bender]

I should have paid for upgraded shipping. The wait is killing me.

 

[tokyostomp]

Just bought Dead Souls for five bucks. It better be worth it!

 

[firehawk12]

The thing I don't understand is that if NISA or Xseed can churn out giant JRPGs every month, what is stopping Sega for doing so for one single game?
It's not like they aren't afraid to cut the most Japanese elements of the game out entirely, and they have never went out of their way to translate any signs or anything.
It's also a game that is unapologetically Japanese, and even if they insist on removing the honorifics from the subs, there's no reason why they need to try to make it sound "American" either. It's not like they're pretending it's set in Manhattan or something.