Developer Ryu ga Gotoku Studio is bringing the Yakuza franchise to Nintendo Switch, but the debut of Yakuza Kiwami on the popular handheld might not be exactly how you expected. If you were hoping to bag yourself a lovely physical edition release of the acclaimed remake, it’s looking like bad news, as the developer confirms the game’s release plans on social media.
In a recent post on the studio’s official X account, it expresses that Yakuza Kiwami will only be available on Nintendo Switch as a download through the Nintendo eShop. Specifically, the developer says the action game is rolling out through “download distribution only”, putting any notion of a physical edition of the action game swiftly on the back burner. But could this change in the future?
Yakuza Kiwami marks the franchise’s debut on the Nintendo Switch, but we can’t believe it hasn’t happened sooner. Nevertheless, while we both know that Yakuza games are immensely popular, perhaps Ryu ga Gotoku Studio is gauging interest for a physical release down the road. Of course this is speculative, but it could also mean that an eventual physical debut will arrive with gnarly goodies too.
Triple-A games like last year’s Alan Wake 2 skipped over a disc release at launch, but the game’s critical reception and profit have aided in Remedy Entertainment’s mission to give players a version of the game they can gladly place on their shelves at home. I mean, have you seen Limited Run Games’ version of the game? It might have a hefty price tag attached, but that’s the price of becoming the Champion of Light, I suppose.
We’d like to see Yakuza Kiwami get a similar type of treatment down the road. If you’re new to the Yakuza franchise, don’t worry, because Yakuza Kiwami is the perfect place to start. Released in 2016 originally for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, this entry into the series is a ground-up remake of the first Yakuza game that debuted in 2005.
The developer’s official synopsis reads as follows: “10 years ago, Kazuma Kiryu took the fall for a crime he didn’t commit to save his best friend. Expelled from his yakuza family, Kiryu is released from prison to a city he no longer recognizes. Chaos erupts when 10 billion yen vanishes from the Tojo Clan vault, and with Kiryu caught in the middle, he finds everything points to a young, mysterious girl named Haruka. Together, they must survive to find the answers they both seek.”
There’s every chance that Yakuza Kiwami could join our ranks of the best Nintendo Switch games available, but we’ll have to see if this port can live up to the studio’s high standards when it lands on October 24, 2024. In the meantime, here are all the new Switch games on the horizon, in case you’re looking for additions to your library.