At Tokyo Game Show ‘07, Sega USA made an announcement that we were getting Yakuza 2 and we haven’t heard anything about the release since. Out of the blue, Sega Europe announced Yakuza 2 will be coming out in Europe sometime this year through a press release.
Notice how it starts out by saying London in caps? Usually, Sega’s press releases start out with San Francisco & London when they make a Western announcement. Just look at the recent Valkyria Chronicles release as an example. I hope this is just an oversight, but we haven’t heard anything about Yakuza 2 since the announcement last September. Meanwhile we already have Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer and according to GameFly we will see Dinosaur King, the other game out of the trio of localization announcements from TGS '07.
Here is the European press release, confirming the game for Europe only.
Yakuza 2 Confirmed By SEGA Europe For A 2008 Release
LONDON (March 20th, 2008) –SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced that Yakuza 2™ will be hitting shelves in Europe during 2008 exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The sequel to the critically acclaimed 3rd person action adventure Yakuza features enhanced combat, larger environments and a thrilling storyline continuing a year after Yakuza ended. Yakuza 2 will plunge players deeper into the world of Japan’s notorious underground organisation, where honour and respect are not earned easily.
Kazuma Kiryu, the protagonist of the first Yakuza, is named Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan but unexpectedly retires from life in the clan the same day. However, his personally chosen successor is assassinated by a former allied gang called the Omi. These events set in motion an engrossing storyline that sees Kazuma travelling through Japan, on what could be the last opportunity to stave off an all-out war between the Tojo and Omi clans.
“We are thrilled to treat the gamers in Europe to the sequel of the critically acclaimed Yakuza,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe Ltd. “Yakuza 2 is one of the most requested Japanese titles in our portfolio and we’re delighted to finally announce a European version.”
Yakuza 2 will be available in stores throughout Europe during 2008 exclusively for PlayStation 2.
