RGG Studio has teased the next instalment in the Like a Dragon series will come as a surprise for fans in terms of "what kind of game it is", fans attending an Anime Expo panel report (via VGC). Fans at the Essence of Fandom event tweeted that the developer said: "We can't tell you what kind of game it is but I will tell you... you will be surprised."
Due to the focus on the "kind of game it is" in the quote, it could suggest the team is looking at adjusting the gameplay of the Like a Dragon franchise again, or perhaps introducing another playable character. The last time it did such a thing would be Yakuza: Like a Dragon, where Ichiban Kasuga became the protagonist and the combat system switched to turn-based.
What we do know is the next game from RGG Studio isn't going to be Yakuza Kiwami 3 — though, a Yakuza 3 remake will likely happen at some point — and a recent rumour suggests SEGA wants the series to be as annual as possible.
Are you hoping for any big changes in the next Like a Dragon game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 66
Yakuza Kart Racing
@Czar_Khastik Damn, beat me to it lol
20th Anniversary next year. Got Yakuza 0 and Kiwami for the 10th celebration. I wouldn't mind another prequel game. Just hope it's better than Infinite Wealth, might be a hot take but that's my least favourite in the series.
An actual open world game instead of the incredibly annoying and repetitive Kamurochō? 😱😱😱 I even got attacked by the same generic gang members whilst typing this comment 🫨
Infinite Wealth was extremely disappointing so hopefully it's better than that! Even a disappointing Yakuza title is still at least a 7/10 though.
Couldnt get in to any of the latest turn based games. I like Ichi as a main character but i find the combat too slow and repetitive comparedcthe faster paced combat of previous Yakuza games. Id like to see moro of Goro. He was nuts, in a good way.
That's wild that Singstar is making a comeback with the Yakuza license.
…..i don’t know what I want
Overcooked 3: Like a Dragon?
@Cloud39472 What are you talking about Infinite Wealth is my game of the year masterpiece.Biggest disappointment was ff7 rebirth over bloated mess of a game.
Well that's intriguing to say the least. Wonder what they are cooking up!
Madden 25: Like a Dragon
It’s probably a spin off. I doubt they will change Ichiban’s gameplay from turn base
Please don't be a souls like.
@DarkHitman82G Crazy how opinions work isn't it?
Kaoru Sayama Gaiden game. Her appearance in Infinite Wealth was too short.
I just hope they're not directionless without Nagoshi. I don't want to see RGG without Nagoshi end up like Square without Sakaguchi.
@Cloud39472 Yes your definitely in the minority with yours.
@DarkHitman82G And so are you with yours. Who cares? I don't need everyone to agree with me, infinite wealth was mid.
One of the few games I gave a 10/10 was Infinite Wealth, still the best game of the year.
Hopefully they keep the Ichiban games going.
@ApostateMage
Yakuza souls like?
Sign me the f up lol
@Czar_Khastik You joke, but they already laid the ground work in Yakuza: Like a Dragon!
Lean to SLG? Managing business and combine turn base action game, fight for the gang to conquer more place?
For me, I really really want a Real open world map, like GTA or Sleeping Dogs style, not block by a “No Entry Sign”.
Like a Dragon should enlarge its scale, gangster story include Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong…, it will be a unbeatable free and open world style game.
Long time ago, I wish Sleeping Dogs can has this structure, block by block, location by location, build up a Asian Style GTA…
Open world and Free to Beat Anyone in all those cities is attractive to both western and eastern market.🤞🏼🤞🏼
@Bentleyma The racing there was great! I was astonished with how good it actually was since it was just a mini game.
@Cloud39472 @DarkHitman82G How about instead of fighting we all play a bit of LOTR: Gollum. After that you'll both love FF7R and Y:LAD
@Czar_Khastik I wish more people would so they could understand what a mess actually looks like.
Always nervous when they changed the greatest franchise of all time. The move to turn based, although I like it, hasn’t been a complete success for me. I enjoyed the older style more. Im hoping if it is a big departure it’ll just be some type of spin off.
Rather have them do something like they did with fist of the north star. I'd die for RGG to have a go at Lone Wolf and Cub with Kiryu as Ogami Itto and Haruto as Daigoro. With an adapted version of ishin's gameplay I could imagine it being really good.
I also really loved Binary Domain, so a cyberpunk/sci-fi like a dragon spin off would be amazing as well.
I think they're gonna do some kind of spin-off. Like a Persona dancing or whatever. Something like that.
My prediction is they are going to try a souls like gameplay style next but I don’t want them to. I hope they go back to the brawler style gameplay with some refinements.
Definitely a spin off game again. Dead Souls 2 anyone?
No way are they changing from turn-based after only 2 games AND Infinite Wealth being the fastest selling game in the series globally.
I also saw some comments about making Like a Dragon true open world and I am not about that at all. You make a game that scale you need faster traversal methods, ie. cars, etc. You put your protagonist in a car and you're separating them from the city they live in. It's just a different game. Like a Dragon would need a drastic rethink structurally to be an open world game.
@Cloud39472 @DarkHitman82G Both games are excellent. Everyone has an opinion, but neither are "mid". Very highly polished, MASSIVE awesome RPGs
Loved Rebirth, loving Infinite Wealth right now (about 10 hours in)
Very intrigued and very scared what they mean by “Surprise”. A “surprise” from Yokoyama-San is gonna be a fifty-fifty whether it’d be something amazing or something less than stellar, to put it mildly and I’m a diehard RGG fan (been a fan since the first ps2 game).
@RudeAnimat0r don't get it either.. One of LAD's defining characteristics is that it is NOT an open world
I personally only want Judgment 3. But without Nagoshi and problems with Kimura agency, i guess the series is dead :/
@Carck frankly, I have no qualms over what “genre” Yakuza falls into. I’ll likely play every game I come across. I’m in it for the atmosphere, minigames, side stuff and characters/world.
@PuppetMaster judge 3 has so much potential. LJ still plays like a dream.
@tameshiyaku as unlikely as it is, Binary Domain deserves a sequel. I wanna see that story continue.
@ApostateMage Last time I tried to get into Yakuza, I found it harder than From's formula.
I'm always ready for whatever RGG Studio cooks
@Carck If you're only 10 hours into IW, your opinion might change. I think it's a good game but I found it incredibly slow and the story really didn't pay off. I just expected better after Yakuza 0,Yakuza 7, Gaiden, Judgement and Lost judgement which were all fantastic.
I do hope you continue to enjoy it more than I did though
Finally, a Like a Dragon rhythm game featuring songs from across the entire series.
I'm only half joking. Quarter joking really. I want it.
Another idea, Shenmue remake 😁
Sega going full circle
@Yousef- it had a really cool story, unsurprising since it's team RGG
@RudeAnimat0r it needs a drastic rethink structurally, though. RGG are lazy af with their game design. Inject the same humour, drama and charm into something that feels like it's from this decade and they could increase their popularity massively. I don't want to sound mean, either. I just want them to spend a little time making a game that advances what they do so the the world can appreciate an IP that should be much more popular.
Maybe it's not necessarily make a massive open world, but make the city into a real functioning city that isn't just so obviously a game area that it doesn't really engage in the way it should.
Took me a few attempts to get into these games....but I will be a day one buyer for the next one....loved Infinite wealth
Can understand why some people are fed up of the same old with the games though if they have played numerous of them
@Cloud39472 I feel like he only attacked rebirth because you got the cloud PFP LOL. Let’s all just love games/
@Ryne-Gaia Lol most definitely. I didn't even say I don't like IW, just that it was disappointing but apparently that was all it took!
@Kidfunkadelic83 I'm in agreement, many may of liked the turn in gameplay but for me the whole attraction to the game was the bad ass fighting and the underground tournaments.
I tried playing the new ones but the fighting for myself was so dull and boring. I can't ever play one again.
Soulslike for sure, those are selling like water recently, even final fantasy has one.
@Cloud39472 it wasn't disappointing.
@Ryne-Gaia Rebirth actually was disappointing though. The story was butchered so badly I have no hype left for the third part.
@Bez87 i really liked the boss fights more too. I always used to look forward to who would be the next boss id have to fight.
@Ravix First, I don't think Sega has the budget for that. The series is still fairly niche. Plus they are trying to annualize it, which means we should expect less radical alterations to the design going forward.
I guess I'm curious what you'd like to see them do to the city? Yes it's gamey, but like the whole series is insanely gamey. I'd argue that's part of the appeal. I'd love the game to have better writing and better animation, I think that would go a long way, but again I don't see that happening given the series's reach.
@Yousef- Indeed. Sadly...now the series followed Binary Domain as RGG Studio dead IP 😭
@StylesT I've been a Yakuza series fans since PS2 days. But i had enough of the series because how Sega treated Kiryu as a milk cow. Y6 should be the end of Kiryu journey which i really like despite the kinda bitter ending and Y7 as a new beginning with new protags. But after Nagoshi left, Sega drags Kiryu back then gave him a dumb character development in Yakuza Gaiden. Oh and they gave him a frickin c****r in Y8. Amazing 🤦♂️
Just focus on making as much of japan playable as possible please. That's all i really want
@PuppetMaster goddamn this is one of the truest thing ever spoken about Yakuza. Miss Nagoshi.
@JohntheRaptor For him it was what next you are going to tell what people should like?
I liked infinite wealth from what I played of it which equals out to about 30ish+ hours still need to finish that and the dragon without name. I just hope that they only drop one game an not double dip. Already got a bunch of other games dropping in September and august my wallet can't take the beating.
An my honest guess is I think it will be a new spinoff or sequel to judgement even though I doubt that will happen.
Didn't play it, wanted to play in English but sega of america ruined kiryu when we had a perfectly good batman sounding kiryu in the first like a dragon and yakuza 1, same reason i haven't played RE4 remake because we had a perfectly good Ada played with intensity and passion and then cr*pcom choose to give us a new ada reading lines sounding like a bored retail worker speaking through an intercom.
@Kidfunkadelic83 it felt really satisfying and I felt like it went well with the slower mini games and story
Yes the boss fights were chaos and its just my turn your turn, your turn. I nearly fell asleep
@Bez87 i agree. The origional Yakuza series imo was far better. Better combat, better characters etc.
Im with cloud on this. IW was disappointing to me too and my least favourite of them all. Ive played every yakuza and judgement games and IW did not resonate with me. I found the combat tedious, hawaii setting uninteresting and the story fell flat (though tbf i havent completed it yet, about 3/4 in). I hope they can be more focused on their next game.
But im happy others enjoyed it. But for me it might be even fatigue. So it might be the last yakuza title i play for a while.
@Yousef- Me too man. If Nagoshi make games similar to Judgment with NetEase, i probably gonna buy it.
@Kingsleyx "So it might be the last yakuza title i play for a while"
Dang. I thought i'm the only one who had enough of Yakuza series. I tried Y7, quite enjoyed the story, Ichiban personality, and turn based combat. But the more i play the more i feel the combat became dull. Then the sudden difficulty spike against the legendary characters at chapter 12 that forced me to grind and farming better gear / weapon at the arena made me bored and stop playing. I never like grinding in RPG unless the combat really fun.
@PuppetMaster I trust Nagoshi-san will make something interesting, if nothing else. He was very protective of Kiryu, unlike Yokoyama-san who has no qualms and seems a little too comfortable putting Kiryu in scenarios where he feels out of place. D:
(As in example, notice how not long after his departure, Kiryu was suddenly popping up in so many promotions where he previously rarely appeared in any Sega crossovers)
@Cloud39472 Agreed couldn't get into it but seeing Saya Hiyama and Yui Komaki in a side quest was pretty neat ^__^
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