Sega has removed a demo version of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life from the PlayStation Store after it was discovered that players were able to unlock the full game.
Players noticed something odd about the demo's file size upon its release, it being unusually large for what's supposed to be just a portion of the game. The large size is apparently due to the whole game being included, though only the prologue should have been playable. But players quickly discovered a way to access more, perhaps even the entire game — without paying a single cent.
Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life Full Game
Including the whole game in the demo was actually a deliberate plan by Sega. Should players decide to purchase the full game, they'd receive an unlock code. That was the idea, anyway. For some players, Sega left out lockout instructions, enabling them to access the full game gratis. Others didn't even know what was actually happening — they simply kept on going after the prologue, earning trophies as they played, slowly realizing that they're basically playing past the demo.
Sega quickly acted upon surfacing of multiple reports and promptly took the demo down from the PlayStation Store. But the European and Australian versions are still up, perhaps because they're the correct configurations.
"We are as upset as you are, and had hoped to have this demo available for everyone today. We discovered that some were able to use the demo to unlock the full game," announced Sega in a tweet.
What Happens Now?
It's not clear what happens to players who were able to access the entire game, and Sega hasn't said anything about it, either. The company originally promised that players would be able to continue their progress from the demo if they purchase the full version.
Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life
Yakuza 6 is an action-adventure title Sega developed exclusively for the PlayStation 4, the seventh main title overall in the Yakuza series. It mixes open-world elements, combat, arcade, and is set in locations such as Kamurocho and Hiroshima. It was announced in 2015 at the Tokyo Game Show with a 2016 Japanese release date. The game has received highly positive reviews, with famed video game magazine Famitsu awarding it a score of 39 over 40.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life launches April 17 in Europe and North America, but was originally scheduled for a March release.
