Yakuza spinoffs ‘Judgment’ and ‘Lost Judgment’ finally arrive on Steam

engadget.com:

In a surprising turn of events, Sega has released Yakuza series spinoffs Judgment and Lost Judgment on Steam. The former first arrived on PlayStation 4 in 2018 before making its way to current generation consoles and Stadia last year. Judgment casts players as Takayuki Yagami, a private detective investigating a serial murder case in a fictional part of Tokyo modeled after the city’s famous Kabukicho district. The game’s 2021 sequel, Lost Judgment, takes place three years later and has a darker tone and new gameplay elements.

The likelihood of the Judgment franchise ever making its way to PC seemed bleak before this week. According to a report published last year by Japan’s Nikkan Taishu (via Kotaku), the series was unlikely to continue due to a dispute between Sega and the talent agency representing Takuya Kimura, the actor who lent his likeness and voice to its protagonist. Kimura’s agency was reportedly against a PC release, fearing it would hurt its business model. At one point, the two sides were so far apart it seemed unlikely Sega would make another Judgment game.

But that was before and now you can buy Judgment and Lost Judgment on Steam either separately or as part of a bundle that includes the sequel’s Kaito Files expansion.