It looks like Yakuza Kiwami won’t be getting a physical release on Nintendo Switch

Dame-da-nope

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If you were hoping for a physical release for the upcoming Nintendo Switch version ofYakuza Kiwami,then we’ve got some bad news.

As spotted byNintendo Everything, theofficial Japanese X / Twitter accountof developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio posted that the game will be “download distribution only” (translated from Japanese with X / Twitter’s in-built translation tool). Thedeveloper’s English accountposted soon after thatYakuza Kiwamiwill be available “on the Nintendo eShop”, without mention of a physical release.

『龍が如く 極』がNintendo Switchにシリーズ初登場！✅発売日：2024年10月25日（金）✅価格：2,980円（税込） ✅ダウンロード配信専用▼公式サイトhttps://t.co/dfSNS8vHHz#龍が如く極 pic.twitter.com/pLV3ZZZfSVAugust 27, 2024

This is definitely a shame for those hoping to addYakuza Kiwamito their physical Switch collection. But there is some good news in that the highly-praised remake, which is launching on October 25 for Nintendo Switch, will be priced at around $19.99 / £14.99. If you’ve yet to properly dive into theYakuza / Like a Dragonfranchise, this is an ideal starting point and a very reasonable price to boot.

Yakuza Kiwamiis a remake of the originalYakuzatitle which came out for the PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2005. The game introduced the world to protagonist Kazuma Kiryu - an officer of the Tojo Clan criminal organization - whom in this initial outing takes the fall for his boss’s murder. After a decade in jail, Kiryu must acclimate to modern life in the city of Kamurocho and save the clan from a dark fate.

While certainly rough around the edges, the very firstYakuzatitle introduced the world to its gripping and heavily political storytelling, balanced out with a gut-busting sense of humor and a wide range of incredible and memorable characters that appear in the series to this day. Having no physical release on Nintendo Switch is definitely a bummer, but we highly recommend the game nonetheless. Especially if you can work your way up to modern releases such as the brilliantLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

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Rhys is TRG’s Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.

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