Lost Judgment might be the last in the Yakuza spinoff franchise according to a report from Nikkan Taishu that’s been translated by Kotaku. According to Nikkan Taishu, the future of the franchise was thrown into question due to a conflict between Sega and the talent agency of Takuya Kimura, the actor portraying Lost Judgment‘s protagonist.
The conflict stems from a disagreement about which platforms Lost Judgment should launch on. Nikkan Taishu has quoted an entertainment insider as saying “Those on the side of the game developer and those on the side of Johnny’s [Kimura’s talent agency] are said to have been unable to reach an agreement regarding the platforms to sell the game.” Because of this disagreement, Lost Judgment may be the end of the Judgment franchise. Lost Judgment is set to release on September 24 for PS4, Xbox One, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Specifically, Kimura’s talent agency, Johnny & Associates, seemingly is against Lost Judgment launching on PC. It’s worth noting that when the game was originally announced, it was going to release on Windows 10 and Steam. A Sega spokesperson later clarified that the game would not be coming to PC in an interview with PC Gamer, saying “Sega has no plans to bring Lost Judgment to PC at this time.”
Despite this, launching Lost Judgment is essential to Sega, says Nikkan Taishu. However, Johnny & Associates reportedly see releasing a game on PC differently and has historically shied away from the internet. Without this conflict being resolved, the Japanese publication claims that Lost Judgment will be the last in the franchise.
We have reached out to Sega for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.
For Yakuza fans, the loss of the Judgment franchise would be immense. The game’s developer, Ryu Ga Gotoku has recently shifted its focus for the Yakuza franchise towards more turn-based combat similar to Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The franchise’s classic beat-’em-up gameplay would still be around though, present in Judgment games. If the franchise does end after Lost Judgment, it leaves the future of beat-em-up style Yakuza games in question.
