Dark Ties Was Meant to Be a Simple Video in the Yakuza Kiwami 3 Remake but Became a Full-Fledged Spin-Off
The developers believed players would want the opportunity to play as Esitaki Mine.
As lead developer Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed at the latest RGG summit, the Yakuza Kiwami 3 spin-off Dark Ties was originally conceived as an in-game cinematic for Kiwami 3. However, game director Resuke Horie told Famitsu in a recent interview why the concept expanded into a standalone title.
At first, we planned to present the story in a format meant only for viewing.
The team responded to player expectations: many fans wanted not only to learn Mine’s backstory but to actually control him in-game.
Another major reason was the character’s widespread popularity. Series producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto noted that, despite only occasional appearances in the franchise, Mine consistently ranks among the top five fan-favorite characters.
Source: iXBT.games
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