The developers thought that players would want to play as Yoshitaka Mine.
As RGG Studio's lead developer Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed at the latest RGG Summit, the Yakuza Kiwami 3: Dark Ties spin-off was initially planned as a video in Kiwami 3. However, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties game director Resuke Horii explained in a recent interview with Famitsu why the project evolved into a full game.
At first, we wanted to make a story in a format that you can just watch.
The team took into account the expectations of the players: many wanted not only to know Mine's story, but also to play as him.
Another key factor was the immense popularity of the character. According to series producer Hiro Yuki Sakamoto, despite his rare appearances in the franchise, Mine consistently ranks in the top 5 favorite characters among fans.
