YAKUZA 6: THE SONG OF LIFE

Developer/publisher Sega Format PS4 Release 2016

I’m CCO now but, even in my current position, I am still very close to the director role. I create the plot by myself; if there are any parts of the scenario I want to change, I rewrite them myself at home. And I tell the staff to make adjustments I think are necessary. People tend to think that the higher your position becomes, especially when you’re managing the business, the less hands-on they are with the product. I think the game industry is unique in this way. The CEO of an

“IN THE GAME INDUSTRY, CEOS SEE ONLY THE PROMOTION, JUST BRIEFLY, AND DO NOT ACTUALLY PLAY IT”

automobile company, for instance, drives his company’s cars. I’m sure the heads of music and movie companies go and see their artists and films. But the CEOs of videogame companies don’t play games, they just manage the business. And I don’t think that’s right.

You should know what kind of products you’re selling, what their good and weak points are. In the game industry, CEOs see only the promotion, just briefly, and do not actually play it. It takes time, yes, but I personally want to keep myself updated on the kinds of games Sega is developing. So I still play games, and I also want to know what the workflow of this generation is like, to ensure we still work efficiently. In order to see those things, I need to continue to participate in the process of making games. Otherwise, I can’t say anything of value to my staff. That’s my policy. I still work hard, though it’s getting harder as I get older [laughs].

We said goodbye to Kazuma Kiryu in this game, and one of the reasons for that was that the style of the game had become predictable. The systems of the game, the game’s worldview and main character – they are strongly associated with him. Kiryu is a cool guy, and I gave him as much freedom as I could, but still, there are certain limits and rules – ‘Kiryu would never say that,’ that kind of thing. It’s okay to make minor adjustments here and there, but if we were to make a big change, the main fans would be unhappy, I think. But I want to make critical changes, which can only be possible with a new character. Some fans were disappointed, but at the same time there are lot of people who believe he will be back again in the future. If he ever returns, I want to do it with a surprise.

When I was making Yakuza 5, I told my bosses I could do one or two more games with Kiryu and that would be it. I wanted to do something new, and while there was a risk of losing current fans, if we continued making it over and over, it would be more and more predictable, which was also a risk. Anything that you start has to end someday. And if we were to end something, I wanted to do it when it was kind of at its peak.

Kamurocho, which is based on the Tokyo red-light district Kabukicho, has, like Kiryu, been a constant in the mainline Yakuza games. It will continue to be, too; Kiryu may be gone, but any pain will be sweetened somewhat by familiar surroundings

New Yakuza protagonist Kasuga Ichiban is, in contrast to Kiryu’s measured restraint, an impulsive hothead