SEGA explains why it’s important for Yakuza to be on Nintendo Switch 2

Yakuza series chief director Ryosuke Horii has spoken about why it’s so important for the Yakuza series to be represented on Nintendo Switch 2.

SEGA has slowly been bringing over the franchise’s different games since the console launched last year. This continued with Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties last month. It was notable since for the first time, the series had a new game launching day and date on a Nintendo system alongside other platforms.

Nikkei xTrend recently asked Horii about Yakuza coming to Nintendo Switch 2. Although he’s unsure if the series will sell well on the console immediately, he believes potential fans could pick up the games down the road and the approach allows SEGA to broaden its reach.

Horii told the publication:

“Strategically speaking, many Switch 2 users are young, so to be honest, it’s unclear whether this will immediately translate into sales for Yakuza. However, the current game industry is shifting its emphasis to a stock-based business model where ‘if we release it, people will eventually play it.’ Even if they don’t play it now, they might play it five years from now. We believe that broadening our reach now is a very honest decision for the studio, even in the sense of sowing the seeds for future fans.”

For those wondering what we thought about Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, we have a review here.