Takuya Kimura’s Talent Agency May Be The Reason Why Judgment Is Not On PC

Almost the entirety of the Yakuza series has made its way to PC. So it’s strange that the spin-off series Judgment is still locked behind the confines of consoles. But now we may know the reason why, and it’s likely because of Takuya Kimura’s talent agency.

Japanese showbiz news site Nikkan Taishu reports that the talent agency, Johnny & Associates, and Sega could not come to an agreement over which platform the actor’s likeness can appear on. For context, Takuya Kimura is a very highly rated actor, to say the least, and plays the Judgment series lead Takayuki Yagami.

The report says that the agency is very strict when it comes to which platform its actors’ likeness can appear on. The agency also is particularly prickly when it comes to images of its actors being online. And for whatever reason, the agency has decided that this would be a problem if the Judgment series was available on PC, but not consoles from which screenshots are shared around just the same. Maybe inappropriate mods is a concern, but it’s the sort of lack of awareness that the agency seems to be projecting to the audience.

All this is bad news for both Sega and fans of the spin-off series. This is simply because Sega has decided that it’s not good for business if it can’t publish the game series on PC. Makes sense, because it is effectively cut off from a major revenue stream. But as such, Lost Judgment will likely be the last entry in the series.

The actor himself, Takuya Kimura, also expresses regret, as the report claims. It’s said that he enjoyed playing Takayuki Yagami a lot, and wants to do more of that, but expressed disappointment when he learned that it would be unlikely.

All in all, it sounds like the people calling the shots at Johnny & Associates have been left behind by the blazing progress of technology. And as a result of them not being able to keep up, gamers are going to be deprived of more entries into a great spin-off series. Sega is also being cut off of a reliable source of income, and a star actor is unable to play a role he enjoys.

Sega: Lost Judgment Not Coming To PC At This Time

Lost Judgment was announced just recently, and PC was not listed among its launch platforms. Not entirely surprising, since the first game didn’t make its way to PC either. But publisher Sega has confirmed that it won’t be available on PC, at least not for awhile.

Yakuza fan site Tojo Dojo spotted code in the Sega Japan website that suggested that the game was planned to some extent to be on Steam. At the very least, the mention of the Steam logo was found in the page’s code.

But whatever the initial plan was, it looks like it has been changed. In a statement to PC Gamer, a Sega representative said that the company “has no plans to bring Lost Judgment to PC at this time”. And that “at this time’ bit is a bit cruel to fans of the spin-off series.

While it took awhile, but the mainline Yakuza series finally has a strong PC presence. Even the latest entry, Like a Dragon, launched simultaneously on PC and consoles. So it’s a little strange that Judgment series isn’t getting the same treatment. But for whatever it’s worth, Sega did say “at this time”, so things may change in the coming years.

Judgment To Get A PS5 Version On 23 April

Yakuza series spinoff, Judgment, or Judge Eyes in Japan, is getting a new version for the PS5. First released in English in 2019, the game has remained a PS4 exclusive. But that is set to change in April.

Naturally, it comes with all the enhancements as you’d expect from a PS5 version of the game. Visual fidelity will get a bump, and you’ll also get 60fps gameplay. Being originally a PS4 game, it’s likely you’ll be able to get both at the same time, similar to God of War. A trailer has been made available on the PlayStation YouTube channel, so you can see what the improvements are for yourself.

If you need a recap, Judgment sees detective Takayuki Yagami, a former defense attorney. He is played by Takuya Kimura, and you’ll be exploring the familiar Kamurocho of the previous Yakuza games. In addition to the similar gameplay, there will be minor detective bits, similar to those you’d expect to find in a Phoenix Wright game, thrown in.

The PS5 version of Judgment will be released on 23 April 2021. It’s definitely a great experience if you’re a fan of the Yakuza series. Though if you already own the PS4 copy of the game, there’s no word if you’ll be getting the new version as a free upgrade.