So, Dark Ties, the Like A Dragon spin-off that's dropping alongside Yakuza Kiwami 3 next year, almost didn't happen as a game! Can you believe it? Originally, the folks at RGG Studio were just planning a video. But then, they thought, "Hey, why not let players actually *be* Yoshitaka Mine?" You know, the Yakuza 3 baddie.

This info comes straight from an interview with Kiwami 3 director Ryosuke Horii and Yakuza series head honcho Hiroyuki Sakamoto. Apparently, the original idea was to have Dark Ties as a bonus "video" with the Kiwami 3 remake. But because Mine's a fan favorite, they figured, "Let's give the people what they want!" I mean, who wouldn't want to walk a mile in his shoes?

The developers knew this could be their only shot to let us play as Mine, since he hasn't been around much. And being Yakuza, of course you get to do all the crazy stuff you'd expect as Mine. Yeah, that means you can belt out Baka Mitai at karaoke. The game is set to explore the relationship between Mine and Tsuyoshi Kanda.

Speaking of that karaoke scene, there's a funny detail. While Mine's singing his heart out, he's staring at a photo of himself with...Kanda. Some fans were scratching their heads, wondering why it wasn't a picture of Daigo Dojima, since Mine seems closer to him in Yakuza 3.

When questioned, Horii basically said that the Kanda photo was funnier! I get it. Sometimes, the best jokes are the ones you don't see coming. It’s this kind of unexpected wackiness that makes the Yakuza games so unique.