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Judgment & Lost Judgment listings on ESRB suggest upcoming PC release

Judgment and Lost Judgment were initially barred from PC by the main character actor's agency, leaving the future of the spinoff series in question.

TJ Denzer

September 13, 2022 1:20 PM

Image via Sega

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Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega have moved to make Judgment their marquee action series, but it wasn’t without issue. The agency behind the voice actor of main character Takayuki Yagami moved to block possibilities of a PC release, largely out of fear of voice actor Takuya Kimura’s likeness being used in unsanctioned ways. However, it seems there may have been a breakthrough. A listing on the ESRB website suggests that Sega is planning to move forward with Judgment and Lost Judgment PC releases.

The Judgment and Lost Judgment PC listings were spotted on the ESRB website recently, as noted by video game news and deals twitter Wario64. The listings don’t necessarily 100 percent confirm anything, but they are notable. Most recently, the future of the Judgment series was in doubt because of voice actor Takuya Kimura’s agency interfering with a possible PC release. Kimura plays Judgment main character Takayuki Yagami and is, in many ways, the heart of the Judgment narrative in the same way Kazuma Kiryu stars in Yakuza.

That said, Sega has expressed that one of its priorities is getting the Yakuza and Judgment games to PC, alongside global simultaneous releases. Ryu Ga Gotoku also wants Judgment to carry the action mantle of the studio’s development while it continues to veer into RPG and alternative gameplay territory with the Yakuza games, as it did with the highly successful Like A Dragon. It seemed very likely that if Sega couldn’t release Judgment on PC, it might very well either stop the series, or move in a new character direction like it did with Like a Dragon.

That said, if these listings are any indication, there may be good news ahead for Ryu Ga Gotoku fans and players on PC. If Judgment and Lost Judgment are confirmed, you’ll hear about it here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.