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Sega teases August 24 Yakuza announcement
Sega plans to announce something on August 24, and while it appears to be related to the long-running Yakuza series, it's unknown exactly what the publisher has in store. Pay a visit to the Ryu Ga Gotoku website - that's the Japanese title of the Yakuza franchise - and you'll find the message seen above. Those who don't speak Japanese aren't missing much as the message roughly translates to the title of the series, and the words "9 p.m., August 24." That text also links to a Nico Video page which will presumably play host to whatever sort of announcement Sega is plotting. Whether Sega is planning to unveil a new Yakuza entry or not, fans outside of Japan shouldn't get their hopes too high that the series might leave its native country. Though a handful of Yakuza games have received localization over the years, the series' two most recent entries, Yakuza 5 and Yakuza Ishin, remain in Japan with no known plans for release elsewhere in the world. [Image: Sega]
Sonic: Lost World tails off at 710,000 units shipped
Sonic: Lost World sales dried up in 2014; as of March 31, the Wii U and 3DS game shipped 710,000 units total since its launch in October 2013. The figures come from Sega Sammy's fiscal year report, and the company doesn't note if they include download sales or not. Total War: Rome 2 was the company's best-performing game in the fiscal year, shifting 1.13 million copies by the end of March 2014. Football Manager 2014 placed second at 790,000 units, with Company of Heroes 2 not too far behind with 680,000 shipments. In roughly its first month on sale in Japan, PS4 and PS3 entry Yakuza Restoration shipped 390,000 units. Sega Sammy's consumer business posted year-on-year decline for packaged software, with the company blaming low sales on the "harsh market environment." The division shipped 8.73 million packaged games across April 2013 to March 2014, down 18 percent from the previous fiscal year. Sega Sammy expects that figure to rise substantially to 12.78 million for the fiscal year ending March 2015.
Sega CCO: No current plans for Yakuza 5 in the West
Sega Sammy CCO Toshihiro Nagoshi recently told Edge that the Yakuza development team is focusing on their Japan-exclusive PS3 and PS4 launch title, Yakuza Ishin, rather than localizing 2012's Yakuza 5 for Western audiences. Ishin is a spin-off set in the late Edo period in Japan and will feature some form of Vita Cross-Play. Nagoshi explained that due to the Yakuza team's size, they decided to pass up working on a port of Y5 to focus solely on Ishin. Nagoshi feels that he and his team "owe it to PlayStation fans" for Ishin to be a PS4 launch title, "even if it means a bit of pressure." Nagoshi expressed interest in localizing Ishin for other territories, provided the Yakuza team finds the manpower and money to do so. Yazuka: Dead Souls was the last game in the series to be launched outside of Japan.
Yakuza Restoration unveiled for PS4, PS3, Vita, set in Edo period
During Sony Japan's press conference, Sega announced a new entry in the Yakuza series for PS4, called Yakuza Restoration (or Yakuza Ishin). Restoration, which has been teased prior to its official unveiling just now, takes the typically modern day gangster series to feudal Japan. Yakuza Restoration will launch alongside the PS4 on February 22, and will also be available on PS3 and PS Vita. PS Vita cross-play was also mentioned during the press conference, though no exact features were pointed out.
