"The Bizarre Origins of Xbox's Strangest Exclusive"

The reason behind the Xbox exclusive release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, skipping the PS5, has been revealed. Leaked emails from Microsoft show that Sega had signed two separate deals, one with Sony for a 12-month exclusivity deal in Japan and Asia, and another with Microsoft that included a parity clause preventing Sony from releasing a next-gen version until Xbox did. This resulted in the game being released on Xbox Series X/S in Japan first, followed by a PS5 release after the exclusivity deal expired. The situation highlighted the complexities of corporate contractual agreements in the gaming industry.