Using real actors to portray characters in a video game is nothing new, with famous actors using their likeness to play the part of supporting or main characters in games. Activision’s Call of Duty series has done this before with their Zombies maps, like Mob of the Dead, Call of the Dead, and even their campaign, which has some notable actors in it. Overseas, Sega’s Yakuza series has done this as well, casting actors like Iura Arata, Ozawa Hitoshi, Nakano Hideo, and Takeuchi Riki to play some of the characters that series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu meets on his journey, all while the actors retain their likenesses.

However, it seems that Yakuza’s spinoff series, Judgement, is in some hot water regarding the actor playing the role of protagonist. The actor in question is Takuya Kimura, an actor well known for many Japanese TV dramas, as well as having voice acting roles in Howl’s Moving Castle and Redline. Having Kimura come on for the Judgement series is a huge deal for Japanese viewers due to his prestige in the entertainment industry. However, it seems like the company that’s handling Kimura’s affairs has issues with Sega’s original proposal to put the Yakuza Judgement series on PC.

According to an article posted on the Japanese website Nikkan Taishu, Kimura’s agency has always been like this, not wanting to have their stars make social media or put their likeness on the internet through uncontrolled channels This, in turn, makes for the reason they don’t want to see the series on Steam.

However, Sega is wanting to put the series on Steam, seeing it as a big business opportunity, especially with the fact that the game is releasing on PS5 and Xbox Series X, which are notoriously hard to come by. However, Kimura’s agency isn’t budging on its issues, and this could possibly put an end to the Yakuza Judgement series, which would be a sad sight for fans of the Yakuza series. The mainline games have completely changed their gameplay style, opting for a turn-based RPG rather than a regular beat em’ up game. This is where Judgment comes in, however, as it retains the previous game’s battle system, filling the void for player’s who enjoyed it.

The agency’s firm stance on putting the series on PC, despite Sega seeing it as a vital business decision, has put the series in peril. On top of this Nikkan Taishu has stated that this could very well be the last time that Judgement is going to be made, putting an end to the spinoff series. However, that doesn’t mean that Kimura wants to quit the series. According to Taishu, the actor has really enjoyed working on the game, and really wants to see the series continue. A silver lining might also be there as well, as due to Kimuras popularity, he’s gotten some leeway in the company, such as Kimura’s marriage and children being public information, even though the companies policy states that information like that should be kept a secret.

Perhaps Kimura might try to convince the agency to let it slide, as the agency has already made small steps to getting into the groove of the internet, making a YouTube channel in 2018. But, as of now, no information about the series future has been made public yet. Hopefully, this will change in the future, and the Judgement series can continue onward into its ^third, and possibly ^fourth entry, as well as appear on Steam.