Lost Judgment could be the last game in the series thanks a dispute over actor likeness rights

A dispute between Sega and Lost Judgment actor Takuya Kimura's agency regarding his likeness may halt development of the series, a new report claims.

Japanese showbiz news site Nikkan Taishu has picked up a story that suggests Kimura’s talent agency – the wonderfully named Johnny & Associates – have been preventing the series coming to PC because they don't want the actor to appear in games on the platform.

Apparently, Johnny & Associates “has strict control over the [likeness] rights of its talent, and the use of their image online is still limited to a few”, and it wants to keep a tight hold of the likeness. Why console games are OK and PC games are a no-go zone for the company is not clarified, though.

"Those on the side of the game developer and those on the side of Johnny’s are said to have been unable to reach an agreement regarding the platforms to sell the game," says the Nikkan Taishu report (thanks, Kotaku).

That's why both Judgment and Lost Judgment have yet to appear on Steam. The Nikkan Taishu report even says the agency was dubious about posting its actors' pictures online, such is the company's mistrust of the internet.

“The game makers have decided that if they can’t distribute the game on Steam, it would be very difficult from a business standpoint, and the series will end with the second game, Lost Judgment.”

This is bad news for Kimura himself, as the actor apparently really likes the series. "He strongly wanted to continue the series, it seems, but he said he was quite disappointed when he heard that he might not be able to do that," says the report.

Lost Judgment will release worldwide September 24 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Pre-orders are now open and there are various offerings to choose from – standard, Digital Deluxe, and the Digital Ultimate Edition which gives you early access to the game on September 21. You can read more at the link.