Unlike Yakuza Kiwami 2’s Majima Saga side story mode, Yakuza Kiwami 3’s Dark Ties is a fully fleshed-out spin-off game centered around the main game’s primary antagonist, Yoshitaka Mine. But despite the spin-off now being featured as a playable part of the remake bundle, Dark Ties was originally supposed to be just a video project that came bundled with Kiwami 3. RGG Studio lead Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed as much during the latest RGG Summit, but Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties director Ryosuke Horii recently expanded on why the shift happened.
In an interview with Famitsu, Horii explains that the initial plan was to produce Kiwami 3’s side story as “something that could be viewed like a video.” However, the development team anticipated that players would want to play as Mine, and they felt that making him a playable character was “the best way to tell his story.”
Another factor that seems to have contributed to Dark Ties’ evolution into a game was Yoshitaka Mine’s popularity. Despite his limited appearances throughout the series, Mine consistently ranks as one of the top five fan favorite characters, according to series producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto. His popularity, combined with his sole appearance in Yakuza 3 (unless we count his role as Hijikata in Like a Dragon! Ishin), contributed to RGG Studio feeling like Dark Ties was their last opportunity to make him a playable character.
In contrast to the main game’s more lighthearted story (and new dad simulator gameplay), Dark Ties’ focus on Mine is supposed to make the spin-off “cooler and more stylish.” By pairing together Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, Horii hopes the contrasting styles will make the experience even more entertaining for players.
In Dark Ties, Mine starts out as a businessman, but we depict him becoming increasingly involved in the world of the yakuza, which is a first for us. Unlike Kiryu and the others, Mine is not a character with a strong sense of justice. Even in the sub-stories, he doesn’t interact with people in a way that is based on the idea of “defeating evil and protecting the weak.”
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is set to release on February 12, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4 and 5, PC (Windows), and Xbox Series X|S.
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