Yakuza series producer Daisuke Sato has said that he would like to see Yakuza's historical spin-offs come west. In an interview with JPGames, Sato was asked about potentially localizing 2008's Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! and 2014's Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!, two Japan-exclusive period drama historical spin-offs set in the 17th and 19th Centuries, which feature established Yakuza characters. Sato said that he "would like to see these titles localized so that western fans can enjoy them." "In the past, we prioritized to regain a foothold in the west with Yakuza 0. Time flew by without a good time to publish these titles," Sato continued. "In my opinion, the action in 'Ishin' and 'Kenzan' is some of the best on the show. So I would like to localize the titles if there is a chance. However, they are already a good seven years old. So it would take additional work to produce remakes instead of simple ports. That makes the decision a little more complicated." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/09/18/yakuza-ishin-tgs-trailer-japanese"] I can also report that during an interview with Sato at Gamescom 2019, he told me that he "would have loved to release [Ishin] in the west from the beginning," but there were concerns because of the game's basis in Japanese history, which may not be so easily understood by Westerners. "This Japanese history is like common knowledge in Japan, so if a Japanese person who knows Japanese history plays it, he has the storyline, but he also has this twist like 'oh, they changed it that way,' and this would kind of lack for Western players who may not know Japanese history." Sato continued: "Still, I mean, if the story is good, they might truly enjoy it. I get asked that a lot, but the fact that a lot of people request is is something that I will take back and hopefully we will be able to challenge this and bring it to the west, finally, after all those years." From both interviews, we can gather that the team at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio seem keen to introduce these titles to a Western audience. There are no clear plans yet, but we'll be sure to let you know if we hear more about an official localization of Yakuza's Japan-exclusive spin-offs. We reviewed the latest entry in the series, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, upon its release in November of 2020, scoring it a 7 and enjoying how it took "bold steps in a new direction for the series." It was recently announced that Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi will be stepping down as SEGA's Chief Creative Officer and taking on the role of creative director. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Gnosia, the acclaimed replayable visual novel and single player social deduction game, will arrive for Nintendo Switch on March 4. Announced exclusively with IGN, Gnosia is priced at $24.99 USD (UK and AU prices not available at time of writing), and pre-orders open on February 25. First announced for western release last year, the game is set on a drifting spaceship beset by the titular Gnosia, shapeshifters that attack humans. The game is presented like a traditional visual novel, but plays akin to a single-player take on a social deduction game like Among Us, or Werewolf. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=gnosia-screesnhots&captions=true"] Each playthrough takes around 15 minutes, and asks you to speak to a variety of characters before deciding who to put into "cold sleep" for being the suspected Gnosia – in each turn of play the Gnosia will eliminate a character until they're selected for cold sleep, at which point the human team wins. Each replay of the game can unlock new events and mysteries, and an RPG stats system affects how well your character can sway the group in each new loop (as well as avoiding being put into cold sleep yourself). Over the course of many loops, you'll learn more about the central mystery, and the characters who make up a part of it. It's something of a unique idea, and became an acclaimed one – upon its original release in 2019, IGN Japan awarded Gnosia a full 10/10 review. The game was originally released for the already discontinued PlayStation Vita in 2019, but made its way to Japanese Switches in April 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Update (2/23/21) - Zendaya has shared her "title announcement" on Instagram, revealing it to be Spider-Man: Home Slice. She also wrote, "So excited to announce the new Spider-Man title. So proud of this one...FOS is back!" (Click right to see the logo!) Original story follows. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Spider-Man 3 actors Tom Holland and Jacob Batalon are both teasing the name of the upcoming sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home. Tom Holland, Spider-Man himself, started this game on Instagram by saying "So excited to announce the new Spider-Man title. Can't wait for you to see what we have been up to. Love from Atlanta." The post also shared what looks to be an image from the upcoming film and a logo that revealed a title of Spider-Man: Phone Home. (Click right to see the logo!) As the entire internet celebrated this new name, Jacob Batalon, who plays Ned Leeds, shared his own post with another image and a different title - Spider-Man: Home-Wrecker. He also wrote "We're so excited to share the TITLE of our new movie!! Swipe right for the big reveal!!! Also, enjoy this exclusive still from the movie, just an extra gift from us." The two actors are clearly playing into the first two films containing the word home in them - Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home - and it's important to note that while both stars included an image with Zendaya in it, she has yet to post her take on what this title may be. Spider-Man 3 is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 17, 2021, and although there have been reports that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would be returning for this new film, Tom Holland shot those rumors down. For more on Spider-Man 3, check out Holland's comments on how this film will be the "most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made" and all the details on Doctor Strange's appearance in the sequel to Far From Home. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/04/what-to-expect-from-marvel-in-2021"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Spider-Man 3 actors Tom Holland and Jacob Batalon are both teasing the name of the upcoming sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home. Tom Holland, Spider-Man himself, started this game on Instagram by saying "So excited to announce the new Spider-Man title. Can't wait for you to see what we have been up to. Love from Atlanta." The post also shared what looks to be an image from the upcoming film and a logo that revealed a title of Spider-Man: Phone Home. (Click right to see the logo!) As the entire internet celebrated this new name, Jacob Batalon, who plays Ned Leeds, shared his own post with another image and a different title - Spider-Man: Home-Wrecker. He also wrote "We're so excited to share the TITLE of our new movie!! Swipe right for the big reveal!!! Also, enjoy this exclusive still from the movie, just an extra gift from us." The two actors are clearly playing into the first two films containing the word home in them - Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home - and it's important to note that while both stars included an image with Zendaya in it, she has yet to post her take on what this title may be. Spider-Man 3 is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 17, 2021, and although there have been reports that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would be returning for this new film, Tom Holland shot those rumors down. For more on Spider-Man 3, check out Holland's comments on how this film will be the "most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made" and all the details on Doctor Strange's appearance in the sequel to Far From Home. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/04/what-to-expect-from-marvel-in-2021"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Bethesda fans are eagerly awaiting any morsel of information about Starfield, the studio’s upcoming sci-fi open world game, but a new charity auction may actually let you influence it directly. Bethesda has paired up with Make-a-Wish for the Evening of Wishes 2021 event, a gathering of different auctions that go to support the organization’s efforts. Bethesda’s prize? The chance to help design a character that will appear in Starfield.

We're delighted to provide the opportunity to design a character for Starfield to one lucky winner - as well as an Xbox Series X and a bunch games. https://t.co/t11jBSc1Z6

The auction is live now and benefits @WishMidAtlantic so they can continue granting Wishes pic.twitter.com/zg7SKtzuM8 — Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) February 23, 2021

Judging from the official auction description, it seems this can be either designing an original character or simply designing a lookalike of yourself. The winner will also get to work alongside Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard in some capacity.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/14/opinion-xboxs-exclusive-game-drought-is-finally-almost-over"]

The auction winner will also receive an Xbox Series X and 16 Bethesda games.

As of 3:00 PM PST, the current bid for the lot is $4,000. You can find the auction at eveningofwishesdc.org under the “exclusive experiences” category.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/21/xboxbethesda-deal-what-it-means-for-ps5-ign-daily-fix"]

Bethesda revealed Starfield all the way back in 2018, and has provided scarcely any update since then. Earlier in 2020, we learned that Starfield was receiving a “major engine rewrite” for next-gen consoles, with Todd Howard saying it’s the biggest update ever made to Bethesda’s Creation Engine, which powers Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/space cowboy for IGN.

Bethesda fans are eagerly awaiting any morsel of information about Starfield, the studio’s upcoming sci-fi open world game, but a new charity auction may actually let you influence it directly. Bethesda has paired up with Make-a-Wish for the Evening of Wishes 2021 event, a gathering of different auctions that go to support the organization’s efforts. Bethesda’s prize? The chance to help design a character that will appear in Starfield.

We're delighted to provide the opportunity to design a character for Starfield to one lucky winner - as well as an Xbox Series X and a bunch games. https://t.co/t11jBSc1Z6

The auction is live now and benefits @WishMidAtlantic so they can continue granting Wishes pic.twitter.com/zg7SKtzuM8 — Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) February 23, 2021

Judging from the official auction description, it seems this can be either designing an original character or simply designing a lookalike of yourself. The winner will also get to work alongside Bethesda executive producer Todd Howard in some capacity.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/14/opinion-xboxs-exclusive-game-drought-is-finally-almost-over"]

The auction winner will also receive an Xbox Series X and 16 Bethesda games.

As of 3:00 PM PST, the current bid for the lot is $4,000. You can find the auction at eveningofwishesdc.org under the “exclusive experiences” category.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/21/xboxbethesda-deal-what-it-means-for-ps5-ign-daily-fix"]

Bethesda revealed Starfield all the way back in 2018, and has provided scarcely any update since then. Earlier in 2020, we learned that Starfield was receiving a “major engine rewrite” for next-gen consoles, with Todd Howard saying it’s the biggest update ever made to Bethesda’s Creation Engine, which powers Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/space cowboy for IGN.

As GameStop continues to weather turbulence including COVID-19, a massive short squeeze, and a generally struggling retail business model, it now must also find itself a new chief financial officer. Today, the games retailer announced that CFO Jim Bell was resigning from the company effective March 26, 2021, with the search for a successor now underway. Should a permanent successor not be found by the time Bell departs, GameStop has announced it will appoint senior VP and chief accounting officer Diana Jajeh to the role as an interim CFO while a search continues. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/07/how-gamestop-plans-to-save-itself"] Bell first joined GameStop's leadership ranks as CFO in 2019, having departed the same role at holding company Wok Holdings prior to that. He took over the role from Rob Lloyd, who had been with GameStop for nearly 23 years. Per SEC filings, Bell was paid a base salary of $700,000 a year, received a signing bonus of $50,000 when he was hired, and was eligible for an additional annual bonus equal to his annual salary of $700,000. However, because he resigned for "Good Reason" (per his employment contract), he will also receive a severance bonus of $2.8 million -- twice the sum of his base salary and target annual bonus. Bell's departure comes as the company battles lowered revenues and leadership upheaval, some of which we outlined in a report published earlier today detailing a recent shareholder shake-up that could spell critical changes for the company as it struggles to stay afloat. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

As GameStop continues to weather turbulence including COVID-19, a massive short squeeze, and a generally struggling retail business model, it now must also find itself a new chief financial officer. Today, the games retailer announced that CFO Jim Bell was resigning from the company effective March 26, 2021, with the search for a successor now underway. Should a permanent successor not be found by the time Bell departs, GameStop has announced it will appoint senior VP and chief accounting officer Diana Jajeh to the role as an interim CFO while a search continues. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/07/how-gamestop-plans-to-save-itself"] Bell first joined GameStop's leadership ranks as CFO in 2019, having departed the same role at holding company Wok Holdings prior to that. He took over the role from Rob Lloyd, who had been with GameStop for nearly 23 years. Per SEC filings, Bell was paid a base salary of $700,000 a year, received a signing bonus of $50,000 when he was hired, and was eligible for an additional annual bonus equal to his annual salary of $700,000. However, because he resigned for "Good Reason" (per his employment contract), he will also receive a severance bonus of $2.8 million -- twice the sum of his base salary and target annual bonus. Bell's departure comes as the company battles lowered revenues and leadership upheaval, some of which we outlined in a report published earlier today detailing a recent shareholder shake-up that could spell critical changes for the company as it struggles to stay afloat. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Carjackings are on the rise in Chicago, and as a result one local lawmaker is proposing a bill that could potentially ban the sale of violent video games in the city altogether. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Democratic Rep. Marcus Evans Jr. has introduced a bill that will amend the city's 2012 law that prevents the sale of violent video games to minors, to be expanded into a full ban. HB3531 will take a ban that applies only to people under the age of 18 and expand it wholesale. According to the summary, HB3531 "Amends the Violent Video Games Law in the Criminal Code of 2012. Changes provisions that restrict the sale or rental of violent video games to minors to prohibit the sale of all violent video games." As part of a growing concern over the increased rate of carjacking in the city, the lawmaker is proposing a ban on games like Grand Theft Auto. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/03/08/president-trumps-violence-in-video-games-highlight-reel"] The bill will also modify the current definition of "violent video game" under the Criminal Code to mean video games that "allows a user or player to control a character within the video game that is encouraged to perpetuate human-on-human violence in which the player kills or otherwise causes serious physical or psychological harm to another human or an animal." In a statement to IGN, the Electronic Software Association (ESA) disagreed with the proposed bill, saying:

“While our industry understands and shares the concerns about what has been happening in Chicago, there simply is no evidence of a link between interactive entertainment and real-world violence.  We believe the solution to this complex problem resides in examining thoroughly the actual factors that drive such behaviors rather than erroneously ascribing blame to videogames based solely upon speculation.”

Video games have long been a target of lawmakers, for reasons beyond violence. Lawmakers in Hawaii proposed banning video games with loot boxes after worries that these mechanics are gambling. And video games are often cited as causes of concern following public displays of violence in the United States. The bill has yet to be voted on, but Chicago already imposes a $1,000 fine on retailers who are caught selling violent video games to anyone under 18. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is News Editor at IGN. You can reach him on Twitter @lawoftd.

Carjackings are on the rise in Chicago, and as a result one local lawmaker is proposing a bill that could potentially ban the sale of violent video games in the city altogether. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Democratic Rep. Marcus Evans Jr. has introduced a bill that will amend the city's 2012 law that prevents the sale of violent video games to minors, to be expanded into a full ban. HB3531 will take a ban that applies only to people under the age of 18 and expand it wholesale. According to the summary, HB3531 "Amends the Violent Video Games Law in the Criminal Code of 2012. Changes provisions that restrict the sale or rental of violent video games to minors to prohibit the sale of all violent video games." As part of a growing concern over the increased rate of carjacking in the city, the lawmaker is proposing a ban on games like Grand Theft Auto. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/03/08/president-trumps-violence-in-video-games-highlight-reel"] The bill will also modify the current definition of "violent video game" under the Criminal Code to mean video games that "allows a user or player to control a character within the video game that is encouraged to perpetuate human-on-human violence in which the player kills or otherwise causes serious physical or psychological harm to another human or an animal." In a statement to IGN, the Electronic Software Association (ESA) disagreed with the proposed bill, saying:

“While our industry understands and shares the concerns about what has been happening in Chicago, there simply is no evidence of a link between interactive entertainment and real-world violence.  We believe the solution to this complex problem resides in examining thoroughly the actual factors that drive such behaviors rather than erroneously ascribing blame to videogames based solely upon speculation.”

Video games have long been a target of lawmakers, for reasons beyond violence. Lawmakers in Hawaii proposed banning video games with loot boxes after worries that these mechanics are gambling. And video games are often cited as causes of concern following public displays of violence in the United States. The bill has yet to be voted on, but Chicago already imposes a $1,000 fine on retailers who are caught selling violent video games to anyone under 18. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is News Editor at IGN. You can reach him on Twitter @lawoftd.