‘Yakuza’ Is No More As ‘Like A Dragon’ Takes Over, RGG Studio Explains

Roughly a year ago, it was revealed that leadership structure at RGG Studio will be changing with both Toshihiro Nagoshi and Daisuke Sato exiting the Sega team. Following the announcement at the start of 2022, Nagoshi revealed the opening of Nagoshi Studios under NetEase as a new Japanese-based subsidiary.

Moving forward, it would be understood that changes for the Yakuza IP would materialize with new leadership at the helm of the ship. So far, it was pressed that new projects would experiment with possibly stepping outside of Japan for future settings. From Tokyo Game Show, the team revealed three new games: Like a Dragon: Ishin, Like a Dragon 8, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name respectively.

The elephant in the room is that these new entries inherited the subtitle from the last installment, Yakuza: Like a Dragon. When speaking to IGN, producer Masayoshi Yokoyama elaborates on the meaning for this new direction the games are heading. Noted, this is considered light spoilers for those who yet played Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

“Story-wise too, we are talking about criminal underworld, but we’re not talking about Yakuza, really. So it just makes sense for us not to include them in the name. If we carry through the accent, we’d be Yakuza: Ishin! It’s not Yakuza: Ishin! That’s not what it’s about. So Like A Dragon: Ishin! makes more sense,” Yokoyama shares.

As for where this lands in SPOILER territory, players from 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon can understand. In that, the story develops to a point where both feuding Yakzua families – Tojo Clan & Omi – both disband right before the climax of the story campaign. These elements even bleed into Lost Judgment which shares the same timeline as the 2021 game reflects on the no more crime families.

Elsewhere, the developer has even reflected on its lack of support on Nintendo Switch. In one statement to GameSpot, the firm understands its emphasis on underground activity and believes it’s not justified to jeopardize the aimed demographic the platform continues to cultivate. You can read the full report by heading here.

Do you favor the new name for future Yakuza titles?

Source: IGN