Toshihiro Nagoshi, who works at SEGA as the general director of the Yakuza series, talked about two major subjects (PlayStation 5 and Yakuza-game) during the newest SEGA-Nama broadcast.

Let’s start with the next main Yakuza game, which was announced already (it will feature a new protagonist called Ichiban Kasuga). Nagoshi revealed that its story is finally done. They are now in the recording stages, and most of the main parts are recorded (by this term, he definitely meant both motion capture and voice acting – they both involve recording). Regarding its cast, he said that there will be some unexpected people cast that are sure to surprise people. (In Japan, as the Japanese media stars aren’t that much known in the West.) He was surprised by how much these casts fit in their roles. About the new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, he said that he talks way more than Kiryu, and has different motivations for his actions. Therefore, the overall feeling of the story is different, as well as the gameplay. It feels fresh in many ways. The game’s development has been tough, but it has been progressing smoothly.

Nagoshi also mentioned the PlayStation 5. He says that even after PlayStation 5 is released, the PlayStation 4 is going to be the main focus for a while longer. (Which is understandable: Sony wants a smooth transition to the next generation, and since the PS5 will be backwards compatible with PS4 games, Nagoshi’s comment makes sense.) „The processing power of PlayStation 5 is incredible, so when we try to think of new gameplay that will utilize its full potential, I’m not really sure which aspects of existing mechanics we should translate. First, there was a time when graphics improved, then there were network features, and now I guess you can say its a return to the “programmable” era? I think artificial intelligence and machine learning will continue to evolve. If you would pour its power into graphics it’ll be the best that we’ve yet to see, and I think everyone is thinking about in what way we should use that power. I as well. There are artificial intelligence and many other things I want to think about,” Nagoshi said.

Seeing how he is talking about concrete subjects with the next-gen PlayStation, it’s likely that the Ichiban Yakuza game will be available on PlayStation 5 (but, seeing how Yakuza 0 got a PlayStation 4 and PS3 release, it might show up on the PS4 as well). Even with SEGA saying it’s in development for PS4.

Source: Gematsu