It was several weeks ago that I initially reported the news that SEGA had frozen all sales of Judgment in Japan following the arrest of actor/musician Pierre Taki who played a major role in the game. The arrest was definitely something felt across the entertainment industry as a whole and was definitely met with quite a few unnecessary moves on all fronts. But given the severity of drug use in Japan, and the fact that Taki was arrested under allegations of cocaine use, SEGA and Toshihiro Nagoshi wasted no time in pulling the plug on the game. While we knew this wasn’t going to be a lasting move, the only news that we did have was that SEGA wouldn’t be putting the game back on the shelves until they had replaced all of Kyohei Hamura’s models, the character in which Pierre Taki had both voiced and been the face of. With that being said, it looks like this transition is complete, with an all-new trailer released for Hamura’s character earlier today.
Alright, there’s definitely something to be said here. I’ve seen a lot of comments from people saying that the character looks almost identical to the original, though I’d argue there are some pretty noticeable changes. The facelift is definitely prominent, as well as the generally slimmer tone. Oh, and there’s also a slightly fuller head of hair. With the footage shared using the same lighting, motion, and mouth movements though, it can definitely seem a little similar though. The trailer only showcases the English dub for the character, meaning we’re currently yet to hear what voice will be used to replace Taki in the game. It makes sense that this is the case, however, with it seeming that keeping the release date as planned for the West is a high priority for SEGA.
Set to release exclusively on PlayStation 4 on June 23, 2019, the originally intended release date for the game, I’m definitely still excited to get my hands on Judgment as soon as possible. Those interested in checking out further details on Toshihiro Nagoshi and the team at Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s latest, be sure to check out Judgment’s official website.