Sega has issued some new press materials for Yakuza 5’s English release that detail some of its supporting cast. Yakuza is known for cool gameplay traits like its evolving combat systems and minigames, but Yakuza is still also a story-heavy franchise, so its many characters are important in creating a rich mythology to engross fans with.

Continue reading to browse some cast profiles! Character descriptions drafted by SEGA are provided via this heypoorplayer article. We also have an image gallery of our own for you to check out at the end of the article after all of the character descriptions.

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Sega has recently released a new (and rather large) batch of screenshots for Yakuza 5‘s Western release. Many of them are themed around combat and Heat actions, but there are some other types of screenshots to look at as well. With the release of new media and live stream demos of the game, promotional activity for Yakuza 5 has starkly increased over the past couple of weeks. Perhaps the game’s release is soon to come?

Check out the images below! Also, if you missed the most recent Twitch broadcast (the second one) of Yakuza 5, we’ve attached that for your viewing after the image gallery.

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As you could already see in Sega’s recent Twitch Stream for Yakuza 5, there’s plenty of activties to do in the game aside from just following the main storyline. You can play darts, visit a Hostess Club, try your luck getting a prize from the UFO catcher, go bowling or play pool, take pictures at a photo booth, participate in idol handshake meetings as Haruka, play Virtua Fighter 2 in the arcades … You can even breed, race and bet on chickens. You’re bound to find something to enjoy! The game’s precise release date is still unknown, but it’s expected to be released somewhere mid-November on PS3 as a digital download. Take a look at the screenshots featuring the mini-games below, courtesy of Sega! We also included the official press release.

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Sega has released a bunch of Yakuza 5 screenshots, giving us a look at the English version of the game, along with character descriptions of the game’s five main characters. You can find the images and character info below!

Yakuza 5 is scheduled to be released on PS3 later this year, probably in November, as a digital download on Sony’s PlayStation Network. The game is currently available for preorder on the US PlayStation Network, but not yet on the EU PlayStation Network.

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It’s been a while since we’ve heard updates on Yakuza 5‘s localization. Sega of America recently took to their blog to offer some words on its progress. It turns out that the localization team encountered a particularly strange type of text replacement issue with the game’s script, forcing them to pore through the game’s source code. Having since rectified the issue, the localization is back on track.

When the blog entry was initially posted, it mentioned a possible release window of mid-November (hoping to avoid the release date of December 31st suggested on some preorder venues) and was reported on such outlets as Gematsu. That suggestion has since been removed from the Sega blog post, which now reflects a promise to share more details as they become available.

Sega fansite Sega Nerds contacted Sega to ask for a comment on why the release schedule had been removed. We’ve reproduced the comments from Sega Nerds’ writeup below:

However, soon after it was published, the post was edited, removing any mention of the mid-November release window. We reached out to SEGA and received some clarification for why it was removed.

SEGA PR rep John Hardin explained that the release date was removed because SEGA was worried people would take the language too specifically and that it would be able to release Yakuza 5 in that time frame if everything goes to plan.

He reiterated that SEGA still hopes to release the game in mid-November but is non-committal on the date.

So at the moment, it appears there isn’t much else to say about the release window for Yakuza 5. We should find out more in the future.

Credit goes to the above-mentioned Gematsu article for reference of the previously-existing release window comment, and to the above-mentioned Sega Nerds article for the words provided on the changing of the Sega blog entry.

The official Playstation blog has been updated with an article detailing Yakuza 5’s digital launch on the Playstation Network in North America. While the release dates have yet to be announced, you can pre-order the digital copy by visiting its PSN page here. The game’s price is regularly $39.99, but is currently discounted 15% which brings it down to $33.99. If you do decide on buying it early, you will receive a free static PS3 theme featuring the main characters of the game.

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In a surprise announcement, a Playstation Store update article on Sony’s PSBlog revealed the introduction of several Yakuza 5-themed avatar pictures for PS3 users. As it is, the avatars are immediately available but only for US-based accounts. Every little promotional effort for Yakuza 5 is appreciated, but hopefully Europe can participate too.

They are all priced at 50 cents (US.) Here is a list of avatar types in text that may be chosen:

• Yakuza 5 Avatar
• Yakuza 5 Haruka Avatar
• Yakuza 5 Haruka Idol Avatar
• Yakuza 5 Kiryu Avatar
• Yakuza 5 Majima Avatar
• Yakuza 5 Akiyama Avatar (missing in the PSBlog article’s list…but that’s okay! Or not, if you like Akiyama)
• Yakuza 5 Saejima Avatar
• Yakuza 5 Shinada Avatar

This preview image of the avatars has been making the rounds online; it’s a great tool to check out which avatars may appeal to you. Most everything here are promotional renders of the characters.

Credit for this featured image goes to this 4gamer article.

Sony have released the second part in their Yakuza 5 developer interview, where Gio Corsi from PlayStation interviews the Yakuza series Director Toshihiro Nagoshi and Producer Masayoshi Yokoyama. In this part of the interview, they first discuss the international fanbase. Nagoshi thinks it makes sense that there’s a fanbase for the game outside of Japan given how unique the game is, even though he didn’t necessarily expect there to be one. When asked how much the game actually reflects the Japanese culture, Yokoyama mentions they put a lot of work in replicating real locations in Japan.

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