The Yakuza 4 PS4 release date has been revealed for Japan. This will be a full HD remaster running at 1080p and 60 FPS. It follows the previously released Yakuza 3 remake that launched earlier this year in the East. There is currently no word on whether this edition of the game will be released in the West.
Famitsu has confirmed that the Yakuza 4 PS4 release date in Japan will be January 17, 2019. As we previously reported, this will not be a full Kiwami style remake. Rather it will be an upscaled version of the game with the previously mentioned changes. The reasoning behind this, according to series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, is that there isn’t too much of a leap in technology. Yakuza 4 was originally released on the PS3, so Nagoshi feels that a remaster will suffice since there is not much of a difference in hardware. He also added that it would have taken resources away from Yakuza 6.
The Japanese gaming magazine also has reported that Masayoshi Tanimura has been recast for the remaster. The character’s previous voice actor, Hiroki Narimiya, has retired since the initial release of Yakuza 4. The replacement is necessary as the game will have some lines re-done and revised. Narimiya will be replaced by Toshiki Masuda who will also provide a basis for Tanimura’s new character model. Masuda is currently most famous for his work on the My Hero Academia anime, where he adopts the role of Eijiro Kirishima.
Yakuza 4 was initially released on the PlayStation 3 in 2011. It was the first game in the series to have more than one playable character. In addition to Kiryu Kazuma, players could fill the shoes of the aforementioned Masayoshi Tanimura, Shun Akiyama, and Taiga Saejima. Our review of the game gave it a rating of 4 out of 5. It mainly praised the staples of the series such as its plot and minigames, while criticizing its heavy use of old assets from Yakuza 3.
