Yakuza 5's Long-Awaited Release Now Slated for Mid-November There still isn't a specific date, but we now know why it's taking so long.

Yakuza 5's Long-Awaited Release Now Slated for Mid-November

There still isn't a specific date, but we now know why it's taking so long.

 

Yakuza 5 was released in Japan way back in December 2012. Earlier this year, we learned that it would finally come to western markets as a digital release before the end of 2015. Then, in August, preorders went live on the PlayStation Store with a tentative release date of December 30.

"Fortunately, this is not the case--it looks like we'll be releasing the game mid-November, if all goes to schedule," Sega said in a blog post today. "Unfortunately, it's a little later than we would've liked, and a few weird development bugs that popped up in localization caused the delay.

One of video games' most prolific writers discusses the series' new direction.

"Without getting too technical, there were just certain parts that didn't like switching the Japanese text out for English, and we had to actually search through the source code to find a fix, taking more time than we expected. But! Everything is more or less back on track. Once we have details beyond just 'mid-November,' we'll make sure to share them!"

Yakuza 5's launch will mark the first time a core game in the series has been released outside of Japan since Yakuza 4 in 2011. It features a new graphics engine and is exclusive to PlayStation 3. When it's released on PSN, it'll be available for $40, though you can currently preorder it for $34.

Just last month, Yakuza 6 was announced for PS4. It's due out in Japan in 2016, as is a remake of the first game in the series for PS3 and PS4.