Today Sega and Sony Interactive Entertainment made a surprise announcement during the PlayStation Experience keynote presentation in Anaheim, California. Yakuza Kiwami is coming west.

The game, which is the full remake of the first Yakuza game for PS2, will be released this summer exclusively for PS4, losing the PS3 version that was released in Japan.

The game will come with both a physical and digital release with Japanese audio and subtitles. Below you can read the main features.

  • A Family Patriarch's Ransom of New Content - Not just a simple graphical upgrade, Kiwami adds nearly 30 minutes of cutscenes alone, providing all-new insight into the game's plot and creating common threads with series prequel Yakuza 0. There's also added distractions (Pocket Circuit car racing, MesuKing: Battle Bug Beauties, new hostesses, and more), side quests and combat updates to bring the original Yakuza game into the latest console generation.
  • A Place for Newcomers and Veterans - Yakuza Kiwami is the ultimate bridge in the series: newcomers or those whose Yakuzaexperience started with Yakuza 0 will have familiar, exacting controls, top-notch SEGA localization, and a solid starting point for entering the Yakuza franchise fresh. Veterans will experience a familiar Kamurocho and plot, but with new levels of story depth and graphical polish.
  • But it was me! Majima! - Completely new to Kiwami is the "Majima Everywhere" system, where the series' deranged, one-eyed maniac will constantly surprise and challenge Kiryu to combat when he least expects it. We're talking "popping out of a goofy costume" levels of surprise, so players must stay on their toes and be ready to defend themselves from Kiryu's chief rival.
  • Extreme Revitalization - Kiwami is rebuilt from the ground up with all new HD assets, exclusive Japanese voice audio re-recorded by the series cast, and more; optimized for the PlayStation 4 and running in 1080p/60fps. And following suit with SEGA's commitment to the Yakuza series, the game will release in both physical and digital formats in the west.

You can check the trailer out below, which was leaked ahead of time by the European publisher Deep Silver. If you're curious, you can also watch a large bunch of my own gameplay of the Japanese version here.