A new rumor suggests that SEGA might be ending the Judgment series with the second title after a dispute with the talent agency of one of the actors.
According to an article from a Japanese showbiz site named Nikkan Taishu, the reporter interviewed an individual who was familiar with the situation. It was revealed that SEGA was planning to publish Lost Judgment on PC via Steam to further extend the series’ audience. The only problem was that the progatonist’s actor Takuya Kimura’s talent agency has prevented them from doing that.
This might come odd for someone outside Japan, but Kimura’s agency, Johnny’s Entertainment, has a very strict likeness right policy. What this meant was that their talents must have limited pictures even on the internet and that extends to games. SEGA thinks this does not look reasonable in terms of business, which is why they might just stop making a third sequel if things do not patch up.
You might be asking “why stop at PC when it was permitted on consoles?” Here’s the raw text from the report:
ジャニーズは、タレントの肖像権管理が厳しく、画像のネット展開もまだ一部にとどまっています。ゲーム機のソフトではなく、インターネットに直結するパソコン用のプラットフォームであることが問題視されたのでしょうか。
Reddit users say that the talent agency states they have a “very strict likeness right policy, they don’t want their talents’ portraits on a PC platform that is not a game console platform and connects directly to the internet. Yes, that’s what it says and it is ridiculous for people outside Japan. According to another Reddit user, this is very typical Japanese idol stuff, which is the same as having no relationships when joining their agency. Sure, they appear on ads, TV shows, commercials, and more, but these are heavily controlled by JE.
Some western fans are outraged of this, but with how strict these agencies are, it is highly likely the possibly sequels of Judgment will not be developed anymore.