Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the first game in the Yakuza franchise that was originally launched on PlayStation 4 in 2016, is finally making its way to the Nintendo Switch.
This marks the first time that the series will be coming to Nintendo's handheld console and it will be arriving on Oct. 24, 2024. The first game in the franchise follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu, who is a member of the Tojo Clan and takes the blame for his boss' murder.
Yakuza Kiwami on Nintendo Switch
After spending 10 years in prison, he returns to find that his clan is currently in crisis. In recent years, the Yakuza series has exploded in popularity among fans.
While Yakuza Zero to Yakuza 6 are all action-based games, the two recent mainline entries have become turn-based RPGs, according to NintendoLife.
Yakuza Kiwami was developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and was published by Sega while it was released on PlayStation 2 in 2016, it later came to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It was also released on PC in 2019 and on Xbox in 2020.
So far, it seems like Yakuza Kiwami is the only title in the franchise that will be making its way onto a Nintendo platform. Right now, there are more than 20 games in the series, which includes spin-offs and extended titles.
Nintendo has also confirmed that Yakuza Kiwami's release on the Nintendo Switch will coincide with the release of the Like a Dragon: Yakuza live-action series by Amazon. The latter will be released a day later on Oct. 25, 2024, said TheGamer.
First on Nintendo's Handheld Console
The remake of the first game will be available for Nintendo Switch users at a retail price of $19.99.
In an official overview by Sega, the studio described the game as the first installment in its critically acclaimed action series and gave an extreme remake of the original game.
When the game's story takes a turn for the worse, which is when $70 million vanishes from the vault of the Tojo Clan, it ignites a war in the red-light district of Kamurocho.
The protagonist must now work together with a mysterious girl named Haruka to fight to survive and uncover the truth amid the chaos, according to Gematsu.
The development comes as the Yakuza series has generally avoided Nintendo's systems but the first two games received a Wii U release in 2013. However, this was never made available to any other region other than Japan.
