Sega Announces Yakuza Sequel, Movie

Sega of Japan has launched a website promoting a sequel to PlayStation 2 crime-themed game Yakuza, as well as a movie version of the games by acclaimed director Takashi Miike. Known as Ryu ga Gotoku ("Like a Dragon") in Japan, the game was only a moderate hit upon its initial release last December, despite widespread critical acclaim. Also praised for its apparently realistic portrayal of the yakuza criminal group, Sega previously revealed that the budget of the game was ¥2.4 billion ($20.7m). The new title, which builds on the existing Yakuza engine, has been announced for Japan ahead of the Western release of the original game this week. Also announced is a movie adaptation of the series from controversial film director Takashi Miike, known for ultra violent titles such as Audition and Ichi the Killer. Miike has already produced several short films to promote the game, and many of his regular films feature the yakuza organization, including Ichi the Killer and other films such as Dead or Alive (no relation to the Tecmo video game of the same name) and Full Metal Yakuza. Although anime adaptations of video game titles are not uncommon in Japan, Miike’s involvement in Yakuza would be the first time a prominent live-action Japanese director has been involved with a video game property turned film. Details of the release date and cast of the proposed film have not yet been revealed.