During Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio TV #34, RGG Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama discussed that Yakuza Kiwami is selling really well on Nintendo Switch. The early success of Yakuza Kiwami could pave the way for more titles on the Nintendo Switch and the Switch successor.
Yokoyama notes that he may have been “bit too conservative” about initial estimates for Yakuza Kiwami sales on Switch, as it’s selling much better than expected. He says it’s difficult to sell a remake like this again, so he’s very happy that many people are playing it on Switch.
Here’s a translation of Yokoyama’s comments, via Install Base:
“First of all, it seems that ‘Kiwami‘ is selling like crazy. That’s good. Somehow, the company executives were predicting the number of copies. I was way off. I guess I was a bit too conservative. Kato-kun, the marketing manager, got it right, but everyone was really excited. But it’s good. It was 20 years ago, and the first Yakuza game was made. Then it was changed to ‘Kiwami,’ but ‘Kiwami‘ was already released, wasn’t it? It’s been a long time since it was released, and I thought that people all over the world had touched it, but now, with the Amazon Prime drama and various other triggers, it’s on the Switch. Well, it’s already a port, you know. And it’s a download-only product. So, as a game maker, I’m happy that they’re making it again. It’s difficult to remake a game. It’s quite difficult to sell it again. So I’m glad. I feel very happy. I think there are many people who want to play it on the Switch again. I downloaded it too. It’s nice to be able to carry it around.”
Lastly, Yakuza Kiwami is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One worldwide.
