Yakuza series producer, Daisuke Sato, was recently interviewed by
Gameblog and he was asked about Yakuza titles on non-PlayStation platforms. Thanks to
Gematsu, we now have a transcription of the interview and what Mr. Sato's response to the question was.
Apparently, Sato doesn't think that the Switch is a proper console to start developing
Yakuza games for as he seems to be basing his assumption on the failure of
Yakuza 1&2 HD bombing on the Wii U.
"
To be realistic about what happened, Yakuza 1&2 HD for Wii U was a huge failure. But we are always looking to develop for multiple platforms as much as possible and know that brings in a greater audience to attract more people. However, as far as Switch is concerned, I’m convinced that it isn’t the ideal platform on which to develop Yakuza games. Maybe people don’t expect this kind of game on Switch", said Sato in what seems to be a slightly uninformed opinion on the matter, adding that "
maybe they’re used to different games. It may not be the ideal platform".
The reasoning behind his logic is somewhat biased as
Yakuza 1&2 HD not selling well on the Wii U—one of Nintendo's worst-selling consoles of all time—may not be a matter of Nintendo fans not liking the games but them completely disregarding the console as a whole, which is something that the Nintendo Switch has already turned around.
Daisuke Sato does believe that porting
Yakuza games to the Xbox may end up working out just fine, as opposed to the Nintendo Switch.
"
As for Xbox One, we can consider it, knowing that Xbox One users may be more likely to be interested in a game like Yakuza. This could potentially be an option", added Sato to fully answer the question he was asked.
While Daisuke Sato has been attached to the
Yakuza series since the very beginning, he has mainly taken the role of producer since directing
Yakuza 3 in 2009. It is fairly disappointing, though, that he thinks the Nintendo Switch isn't a proper console to develop games for by judging its predecessor and the poor sales both the console and the
Yakuza 1&2 HD games got. Yakuza games could work just fine on a Nintendo console, especially one that has the appeal of being a portable hybrid, as well.
Thinking that a demographic is not fit for mature titles because of the console they decide to game in is simply uninformed and borderline stereotypical. After all, is not like Switch owners have recently been given two fantastic ports of Bethesda's
Doom and
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus—titles that are not kid-friendly at all—or that
Resident Evil games have always been featured on Nintendo consoles since the N64 era, even the disastrous Wii U had its own
Resident Evil games. Hopefully Daisuke Sato isn't the one calling the shots when, and if, the Yakuza Team really begin thinking about porting
Yakuza games to other consoles since his logic is rather asinine.