Yakuza 7 Timed Exclusivity On Xbox Series Was Completely Unintentional

Muhammad Ali Bari September 20, 2023

It turns out that the Xbox Series X exclusivity of Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s role-playing game, Yakuza 7, was completely unintentional.

A large amount of highly confidential and unredacted Microsoft documents have been leaked via the FTC vs Microsoft case. They were attached to a single file and incorrectly hidden before being posted publicly. This error on Microsoft’s part that has revealed that the Xbox Series X exclusivity of Yakuza 7 wasn’t intentional.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon was a PlayStation exclusive in Japan at launch, as Sony had an agreement in place. As a result, Sega was unable to release the Xbox Series X version in Japan. On the other hand, Microsoft has a parity clause with Sega, according to which the PS5 version of a game can’t be released without an Xbox Series X version releasing day and date.

Given how there could be no Xbox Series X version due to Sony’s exclusivity, Sega couldn’t release a PS5 version. That said, this only affected Japan, therefore Sega was free to release the Xbox Series X version in North America. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio likely didn’t have a PS5 version ready for launch, as it couldn’t release it in Japan until the Series X version released. The whole ordeal was a bit of an entangled mess, so to speak.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a role-playing video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and distributed by Sega. It marked the first time the Yakuza series adopted turn-based RPG gameplay. It premiered in Japan and Asia on January 16, 2020, exclusively for PlayStation 4. The Western release, available on PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, occurred on November 10, 2020, featuring new outfits, English voice overs, and some previously paid DLC. This updated version was later released in Asia with the title “International” on February 25, 2021, for Windows and Xbox platforms. The game was released worldwide for PlayStation 5 on March 2, 2021, and an Amazon Luna version became available on December 10, 2021.