The characters Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima sprang to life in video games all the way back in 2005, but we got to experience their lives in the midst of their inglorious Yakuza careers, even seeing what life was like after getting out of the organization. But now, with Yakuza 0, players get to step into the sartorially immaculate shoes of Kiryu and Majima *before* they became the Dragon and the... more.

Sega today announced that Yakuza 5 is now available digitally on PlayStation Network in the West. The open-world action adventure game was originally released in Japan in 2012, but gangster enthusiasts in the Americas and Europe can now experience the dark side of Japan through the eyes of five interconnected protagonists. Gamers take control of legendary former yakuza Kazuma Kiryu, infamous en... more.

The 1980s in Japan were defined by unprecedented amounts of decadent overindulgence - and nothing was out of greed's reach, especially in Kamurocho. A chilly but electric Tokyo in December 1988 is the backdrop for Kazuma Kiryu's ascension into the ranks of the Yakuza - the name given to members of notorious crime organizations. And with Yakuza 0, newcomers to SEGA of America, Yakuza series wil... more.

An Angry Yakuza Lieutenant, a Manipulative Cop, and a Sadistic Prison Inmate Are Just Some of the People You'll Meet in Yakuza 5. When someone has ties to the Yakuza, their life is probably not boring. In fact, it's probably filled with, violence, money, and legally ambiguous activities. While I don't personally know anyone who is connected to the yakuza to confirm this, I do know that the prot... more.

One of the most important things a Yakuza must know is how to beat people's faces to a pulp. We're talking about brutal, bloody and no-holds-barred street fighting. Kiryu and Saejima didn't get street cred by adopting puppies and saving the trees, they got it by beating the ever-living crap out of everyone who dared stand in their way. In Yakuza 5, each protagonist possesses unique fighting sty... more.

So first, here's a quick mea culpa from me: I've been thinking about Yakuza 5 completely wrong. Admittedly, I have not played much of the Yakuza series, and if you caught our livestream last week you saw the bulk of what I've played already. But here's one important lesson that I've learned: You're not acting like Yakuza 24/7. Well, I mean, you are - Kiryu, Shinada, all the rest of the protagon... more.

There was a sign of life for Yakuza 5 (don't worry, we didn't forget about it) on the Sega Blog you may have caught recently, so now we're going to follow that up with a bit more by looking at the protagonists of Yakuza 5 and give you a little hint as to where their stories are going. In terms of release date, we don't have anything concrete, but production is wrapping up nicely and we hope to ... more.

Yakuza 5 is coming later this year (we're still trying to get the exact date locked down), and beginning today, players can pre-order the PlayStation 3 game digitally on PlayStation Network. For the aspiring organized crime enthusiast who takes advantage of the pre-order, they'll receive a 15% discount on the game as well as the "Fulfiller of Dreams" static theme. We also have the third and ... more.

Back in April, Gio Corsi of SCEA Third Party Production team visited the SEGA office in Tokyo to interview two of the developers behind the legendary Yakuza series, General Director Toshihiro Nagoshi and Producer Masayoshi Yokoyama. In the second of three interview videos, Gio goes deeper into the details of Yakuza 5 with the two developers. Mr. Nagoshi and Mr. Yokoyama discuss more of the the... more.

Gio Corsio of SCEA Third Party Production team sits down with two of the developers from the legendary Yakuza series -- general director of the Yakuza series Toshihiro Nagoshi and Yakuza 5 producer Masayoshi Yokoyama -- to discuss the game's theme, scope, and to answer some user questions in the first part of our Yakuza 5 developer interviews. Yakuza 5 will make its Western debut as one of the ... more.