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.

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