After countless indications that a Western release was unlikely, Sega has announced that Yakuza 3 is making the trip to U.S. and European PlayStation 3 consoles early next year.

Keep hope alive! It seems SEGA America's Ray Almeda misspoke and gave his own personal opinion to The Examiner that Yakuza 3 will not be released in the States because of subpar Yakuza 2 sales.

Going on sale last February, Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 (Yakuza 3) has shipped over half a million copies in Japan. It's a hit, and SEGA is hard at work on another entry in the franchise.

Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 (Yakuza 3) may have already been released, but that doesn't mean SEGA is finished with the game. The title has been getting downloadable content — free of charge.

PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 is a smash hit. The game sold 372,000 copies in its first week and is one of the biggest selling copies on the PLAYSTATION 3.

SEGA's PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 is a smash. Lots of people have bought it — including suspended former flyweight fighter Daiki Kameda.

Toshihiro Nagoshi, designer of SEGA's Ryu Ga Gotoku, hinted that the game sold 300,000 copies. It's sold more, way more. Just released official numbers put it at 372,000 copies sold.

PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 (Yakuza 3) went on sale February 26. How'd it do? Let's hear what its designer, the very tanned Toshihiro Nagoshi, has to say:

The latest in an endless string of Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 (Yakuza 3) game promotions: Japanese liquor.

Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 looks great. Blue Sega skies, hostesses, fisticuffs and tanning salons? Yes. Please. Alas, a Western release may never happen, so this demo might be as close as you get.

GAH! That's Toshihiro Nagoshi, creator of upcoming PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 3, explaining why he enjoys toasting his leathery tanned skin.

Toshihiro Nagoshi, designer of Ryu Ga Gotoku 3, is very brown. It's like he spends all his free time in a tanning salon or something. The game's latest promotional tie-up should be no surprise:

Hostesses? Boring! Guys getting hit with a gas tank? So not boring. This batch of Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 images packs a walloping punch.

Sure, in upcoming PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 3, players can mold their own bar hostesses. But they can also do other things with them.

Word has it that upcoming PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 requires, like a lot of PS3 games do these days, a mandatory install. Sign of the times!

That's commenter Bellamy and SEGA fashion plate and Ryu Ga Gotoku designer Toshihiro Nagoshi. Bellamy met him! You too can meet Nagoshi. Bellamy? Well...

If you still don't believe Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 is the most amazing looking game of next month, then this new batch of screenies should do it. If that doesn't do it, then well.

The last Yakuza PS3 exclusive, Ryu Ga Gotoku KENZAN! got instant udon. The upcoming Yakuza PS3 exclusive gets, you guessed, instant noodles.

SEGA's Yakuza series has been successful in its native Japan. In the West, not so — blame poor localizations for that! Now, it looks like Yakuza 3's North America release is undecided. Crud.