Looks like we're going to be getting new collaboration news for Yakuza 4 every week until the game's Spring release. Following up on
last week's pachinko tie-up announcement, Sega announced today a tie-up with Darts Live, a company that produces Darts Live darts machines.
Unlike the pachinko tie-up, this promotion works both ways.
On the game side of things, Yakuza 4 will feature in-game versions of the latest Darts Live machines, Darts Live 2. This will appear in an in-game darts bar.
On the real life side of things, starting today and running through Spring, Sega will make available Yakuza 4 original theme data. Yakuza fans can exchange points that they've earned in Darts Live's touch panel game machine Touch Live to obtain the theme data. Using an IC Card that's shared between Darts Live 2 and Touch Live machines, players can transfer the Yakuza theme data to Darts Live 2 machines when they play darts. Doing so will make a Yakuza theme appear on the Darts Live 2 machine's monitor.
Sega will distribute three different Yakuza 4 themes for Darts Live 2. The first will be available from today (10/9) through October 15. Two more will arrive by March 2010.
(Yes, Sega said specifically "March" rather than Spring -- perhaps this is a hint of the month that we can expect Yakuza 4?)
The lovely ladies who won Yakuza 4's hostess contest will also feature into this tie-up. Some time during Spring, Sega will host a darts event that will give players a chance to play darts with the ladies. Specifics will be announced at a future date.