Why Yakuza 5 Matters

Saturday’s announcement that Yakuza 5 would finally be making its way over to North America and Europe is a big deal, but probably not for the reason you think.

Yeah, Sega has waffled on the subject for a long time, citing the declining sales of the series from entry to entry as the main reason why they had been hesitant to publish the game. And the game is certainly an incredibly “Japanese” game in its nuances, mechanics and loads of references to Japanese culture, things that, save for a dedicated few, will likely fly over the heads of western gamers.