SEGA Project Redemption

Following a heavy round of layoffs in its American publishing division, SEGA has laid out plans to "streamline" its Western operations, thus leaving many anticipated releases in jeopardy. As fans of the video game series Yakuza (aka Ryu Ga Gotoku), we wish to propose a plan of action that will not only forward SEGA's agenda for digital distribution but will also rally consumers to its existing Yakuza IPs.

The concerned statement from SEGA of America president and COO Masanao Maeda:

"Due to the challenging economic climate and significant changes within the interactive gaming industry, SEGA has made the decision to consolidate its publishing business in order to focus on developing digital content and driving its existing IP ... This realignment of the business around existing and digital IP is a necessity to ensure that SEGA continues to invest and enhance its digital business offering, whilst reducing its reliance on traditional packaged goods ... The changes will position SEGA as a content led organisation, maximising sales with a strong and balanced IP portfolio across both packaged and digital distribution."

While many gamers may see this restructuring as a negative, Yakuza fans believe this is an opportunity for SEGA to meet long-standing demand for localization while bolstering its own profits. Here, we will briefly list the Yakuza products that we would actively support as gaming consumers and why they would equally benefit fans and corporate SEGA:

1) Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Collection - The remastering and repackaging of PS2 games on a single high-definition PS3 Blu-Ray has become common practice in video game publishing. These two games have become increasingly rare, and it would give SEGA a chance to rectify the heavily criticized English dub of the first game.

2) Yakuza 3: Director's Cut DLC - This downloadable add-on would insert content that was originally missing from the US version of Yakuza 3, including hostess clubs, mahjong, shogi, and various other criticized edits that were "too Japanese" for Western audiences. Most of this content was comprised of mini-games with little text to translate, and it would be paid DLC on the PlayStation Store.

3) Yakuza: Kenzan! - While this would undoubtedly be the largest localization project, it is also the one in greatest demand. Kenzan would need to be hard copy PS3 Blu-Ray release, but if it was priced intelligently, it would likely sell more than 100,000 copies in its first month.

4) Yakuza: Black Panther 1 & 2 - Again, these would not only be quick and easy localization for SEGA but could also be distributed as digital downloads only, for both PSP and Vita. PSP owners would finally have an English version of the Kurohyou titles, and the Vita library would gain two strong additions to its currently limited library.

5) Yakuza 4 & Dead Souls DLC - Expanding the most recent Yakuza games through digital content would drive additional retail interest in those games and tease Yakuza 5 as it continues development. Both of these games are receiving expanded content in Japan, and those add-ons could easily be localized for distribution here.

In short, all that we are proposing is a pair of inexpensive hard copy releases and several digital products.

Because these titles are already complete in their original Japanese, only minimal translation and programming changes would be needed, and this project would utilize a small staff with a low budget. Considering the sheer volume of work that is ready for immediate localization or re-release, SEGA could turn that small budget into big profits, especially if a large number of Yakuza fans pledged their support. If handled in the manner we have proposed, Yakuza could build tremendous momentum as a reliable IP for larger localization projects in the future, especially Yakuza 5.

And although it is not a requirement to sign the petition, we would encourage all fans to purchase new retail copies of Yakuza 4 and Yakuza: Dead Souls. Both games are still in active distribution, and a corresponding increase in sales nationwide would send a positive message of support to those in charge. Thank you for your time and contribution to SEGA Project Redemption!