Lost Judgment Could Reportedly Be The Last Entry In The Series

Lost Judgment, the upcoming squeal to Judgment could be the end of the series before it even launches according to recent reports.

A new report from Japanese website Nikkan Taishu, the site has apparently heard about ongoing disputes between SEGA and actor Takuya Kimura’s talent agency, Johnny & Associates. The issue seemed to stem from the agency not wanting Kimura to be in a PC version of the game.

the agency supposedly "has strict control over the [likeness] rights of its talent, and the use of their image online is still limited to a few". It's not clear why the company wants to block the titles from PC specifically but my guess would be due to the openness of the platform. Sadly due to the dispute, future installments of the game are said to possibly never be released.

The reason behind this, according to the report, is if they can't "distribute the game on Steam, it would be very difficult from a business standpoint, and the series will end with the second game, Lost Judgment.”

There's no official word of this yet, so take everything as a rumor but this could cause problems with the future of the Yakuza series too. SEGA recently confirmed that the beat-em-up style of gameplay would live on in Judgment while Yakuza would be making the switch to turn based combat after Yakuza Like A Dragon. This whole ordeal if true would kinda mess up those plans, however it's also possible that they just end up switching up the protagnist for future Judgment games which would be a shame as i love Tak as a character and can't wait to experinece more of his story but i'd rather that than see this series go away.

Xbox Cloud Gaming Is Now Available on PC and Apple devices

Xbox has confirmed that Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available on PC and Apple devices via web browser for all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

Announced via the Xbox Wire, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in 22 countries can now access the service by going to Xbox.com/play on the compatible browsers that include Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Chrome with a connected controller. Then you'll be able to access the library of cloud-compatible games like Yakuza Like A Dragon, Minecraft Dungeons, and much more.

Lastly, the company has also confirmed it’s made improvements to the Xbox Cloud Gaming servers which are now powered by custom Xbox Series X hardware. Sadly due to bandwidth constraints, streaming-only goes up to 1080p and 60FPS. However, Xbox promise “going forward we’ll continue to innovate and add more features to enhance your cloud gaming experience.”

I've yet to use the service but plan to in the near future when it's possible to travel, I spend a lot of time at home as of late and i own an Xbox Series X. So it's not something I currently use but it'll definitely will bea service i'll use eventually.

Next Batch Of Games Coming To Xbox Game Pass In Late June

Microsoft has announced the next batch of games coming to Xbox Game Pass for the next two weeks, it's a bit of an odd list though.

The full list of games goes as followed:

Worms Rumble (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – Available Today

Iron Harvest (PC) – June 24

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered (Console and PC) EA Play – June 24

Prodeus (Game Preview) (PC) ID@Xbox – June 24

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (Cloud) – July 1

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – July 1

Gang Beasts (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – July 1

Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars (Cloud, Console, and PC) – July 1

Limbo (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – July 1

There's also one other game that will available earlier for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members via the perks section in the form of Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game available on July 1st. However it will be free for everyone on the 15th, so it's kinda early access.

This batch of games is just okay in my opinion, Gangbeasts is great but that's about it. They did just add Yakuza Like A Dragon though and that game is absolutely fantastic, so go play that instead.

In other news, the Xbox Game Pass Twitter is seemingly hinting at the possible addition of Judgment to Xbox Game Pass in the near future. Judgment is a spin-off of the Yakuza series so it would make sense to drop in the game into the service before the launch of the squeal Lost Judgment in September. I personally think August would be a great time to add that game as it would give ample time to play through the 80 hours of amazingness.

The Yakuza Series will continue to be a turn-based RPG for the forseeable future

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has seemingly confirmed that the Yakuza games will continue to use the turn-based RPG mechanics from Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

in an interview with IGN, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa confirmed the change would be permanent, saying: "The Yakuza series has been transformed into a turn-based RPG. On the other hand, over the years, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has accumulated resources and know-how of making flashy and exhilarating action games that are effortless to enjoy. We decided that we should let our signature action gameplay live on through Lost Judgment"

I personally welcome the change and I feel it fits better with the themes of the Yakuza series. Yakuza Like A Dragon was a breath of fresh air that showed that you don't need a single overpowered protagonist to steer the ship of the story but more so it can be a joint effort. That's can only be a good thing as RGG Studio makes some of the most compelling characters in games to date. That and they can do wacky stuff like Majima running down the side of a skyscraper for a special attack.

Second Batch Of Games Coming To Xbox Game Pass In January

Xbox has announced the next wave of games being added to Xbox Game Pass for the second half of January.

Here's the list of all the upcoming games coming to Xbox Game Pass in the coming weeks:

• Control (PC) – January 21

• Desperados III (Console, PC, and Android) – January 21

• Donut County (Console, PC, and Android) ID@Xbox – January 21

• Outer Wilds (Android) ID@Xbox – January 21

• Cyber Shadow (Console, PC, and Android) ID@Xbox – January 26

• The Medium (Xbox Series X|S and PC) ID@Xbox – January 28

• Yakuza 3 Remastered (Console, PC, and Android) – January 28

• Yakuza 4 Remastered (Console, PC, and Android) – January 28

• Yakuza 5 Remastered (Console, PC, and Android) – January 28

It's looking like a pretty fantastic month of games on Xbox and I'm extremely excited to play some more Yakuza, I write this as I'm currently playing through Yakuza Like A Dragon.

Xbox also announced the games that will be leaving the service on January 29th, so here's that list of games:

• Death Squared (Console)

• Death’s Gambit (PC)

• Final Fantasy XV (Console and PC)

• Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour (Console and PC)

• Gris (PC)

• Indivisible (Console and PC)

• Reigns: Game of Thrones (PC)

• Sea Salt (Console and PC)

Overall it's looking like a great month for video games in general and I can't wait to not play any of them. There's not enough time in the day but I do plan to get to the three Yakuza games, which I'll hopefully finish in time for Yakuza 6 in March.