Yakuza Kiwami on Switch ‘selling like crazy’, claims Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

The Nintendo Switch version of Yakuza Kiwami is off to a strong start, according to Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama.

Kiwimi is a remake of the first Yakuza game, which was originally released for PS2 in 2005.

The remake was released for PS3 and PS4 in 2016, before making its way to PC in 2019, Xbox One in 2020, Amazon Luna in 2022, and finally Switch last week.

“So, it looks like Kiwami is selling like crazy,” Yokoyama claimed in a video interview published on the franchise’s official YouTube channel, which was translated by VGC. “I’m really glad. You know, the company’s executives had been making sales predictions, but I was way off. I guess I looked at it too conservatively.”

“The whole thing has been really exciting,” Yokoyama added. “But yeah, this is great. It’s been 20 years since we made the first Yakuza game. And now, even though it’s been rebranded as Kiwami, we already released Kiwami a while ago, right? I thought it had been out for quite some time and that people all over the world had experienced it already.

“This time, though, with the drama on Amazon Prime and other factors coming together, it’s finally arrived on the Switch. Though, technically, it’s just a port. And it’s only available as a digital download. But still, the fact that people are willing to play it again makes me really happy as a game developer.

“Remakes are tough to pull off,” he continued. “Selling the same game a second time isn’t easy. So I’m just really relieved. I feel great about it. I think a lot of people are going to enjoy it on the Switch. I even downloaded it myself! Being able to carry it around is really nice.”

Amazon Prime Video’s live-action adaptation of Yakuza premiered last week. The first three episodes of Like a Dragon: Yakuza are available now, with the final three set to be released on October 31.

Sega recently brought forward the Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii release date by one week to February 21, 2025.