An anonymous source has claimed a sequel to Yakuza developer Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s Judgment is in development.

As previously reported, Judgment is a crime drama staring disgraced attorney turned private detective Takayuki Yagami. Players investigate murder cases, track down clues, interrogate suspects, and fight off those who would defy justice with combat.

Now, Yakuza fansite The Tojo Clan reports that according to a source who reached out to them, a sequel to Judgment is in development. They also state “We wish to stress that this is a rumour but after doing research into it we feel safe saying that we believe this to be genuine.” The source reportedly provided proof that backed up their claims, involving “checking names.”

Sega of Japan had previously trademarked “Lost Judgment,” but The Tojo Clan had initially dismissed this as a sequel to Judgment; as in Japan the game was called Judge Eyes.

However, the source claims this was the working title for the sequel, along with “Judgment: Seize The Truth.” They also note while this seems like Lost Judgment would be one of the final names, as companies often trademark multiple names to keep dibs on what they want to decide on later.

The game will still feature Takayuki Yagami, along with partner and former yakuza member Masaharu Kaito, and at least one other character. This is in spite of how the Yakuza games and Judgment utilize real Japanese actors and celebrities, and tend to make it more difficult for them to appear in future titles.

The story will also “feel much darker.” While not delving into the wild and surreal hurmor of the Yakuza series, Judgment did dabble into more humorous scenes, but was more serious overall. What the source described (in The Tojo Clan’s words) “makes it sound like Yagami didn’t battle all of his demons in the first Judgment.”

You can find the Tojo Talk segment discussing the rumor below.

We will keep you informed as we learn more.

Judgment is available on PlayStation 4, and April 23rd on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Google Stadia.

Image: PlayStation