SEGA Japan Suspends Sale Of New ‘Yakuza’ Spinoff Following Voice Actor Pierre Taki’s Drug Arrest
by Matt Reisine
Yakuza Judgement (Image: SEGA)
SEGA’s Yakuza series has been a successful one for them, with its latest installment being the PlayStation 4-exclusive Judgement.
However, the Shinagawa-based company announced today that it is temporally halting sales of Judgement in Japan following the arrest of one of its voice actors. Judgement (or Judge Eyes as it’s known in Japan) has been removed from all digital marketplaces and physical shipments of the game have been suspended.
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Pierre Taki, 51, is an actor and member of the Denki Groove pop duo. He portrayed Kyohei Hamura in Judgement, supplying his voice and providing facial capture for his animations. Hamura is an important character in the game, serving as the patriarch of the Matsugane clan, an offshoot of the Tojo clan. In terms of his other roles, Taki is also known as Frozen‘s Olaf in the films’ Japanese releases. He reprised the part in the recent release of Kingdom Hearts III.
According to The Japan Times, Taki, whose real name is Masanori Taki, was arrested for cocaine usage. Authorities searched his car and Tokyo home Tuesday afternoon, arresting him at 11 p.m. after a urine sample tested positive for cocaine. He is currently being detained at a police station in the Koto Ward.
Judgement launched in Japan last December, and its western release is as of this writing still slated for June 25. It is currently unknown if or how Taki’s arrest will affect the game’s international launch.
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