Lost Judgment may be the last in the series due to actor image rights, it’s claimed

Lost Judgment may be the final game in the Judgment series due to ongoing issues with Sega and actor Takuya Kimura’s talent agency, it’s claimed.

Japanese showbiz news site Nikkan Taishu claims that sources tell it Kimura’s talent agency Johnny & Associates have been blocking PC versions of games in the Judgment series because they don’t want Kimura to appear in PC games.

While it’s not entirely clear why this is, the site suggests that because Johnny & Associates “has strict control over the [likeness] rights of its talent, and the use of their image online is still limited to a few”, the agency may be treating PC games differently because home computer have direct access to the internet.

The report claims that Sega has been trying to bring Judgment and Lost Judgment to Steam, but because the agency is blocking this from happening it may draw a line under the series after Lost Judgment.

“The game makers have decided that if they can’t distribute the game on Steam, it would be very difficult from a business standpoint, and the series will end with the second game, Lost Judgment,” the report states.

VGC has reached out to Sega for comment on the situation.

Lost Judgment will be coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox and Xbox Series X/S, with no PC version confirmed. The original Judgment was released on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Stadia, and didn’t receive a PC port either (although Stadia technically counts as a home computer version, Stadia is currently not available in Japan).

Every game in the main Yakuza series, as well as spin-off Yakuza: Like a Dragon, is currently available on Steam. None of these games star Kimura.

Lost Judgment is the sequel to 2018’s Yakuza spin-off Judgment. It was officially revealed via a video presentation in May, and will be released worldwide on September 24.

Further reading

Yakuza creator reveals Lost Judgment, ‘a game unlike anything you’ve seen before’

Game will be released worldwide on September 24

“I’m confident we’ve created a game unlike anything you’ve seen before,” recently appointed Sega creative director and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi said during the presentation.

The “legal suspense action game” will retain the fast-paced action of the original, rather than adopting the turn-based RPG system used in 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

In addition to Kamurocho, it will take players to the port city of Yokohama, and returning protagonist Takayuki Yagami will go undercover at a high school.