SEGA’s Like A Dragon series, also known as the Yakuza series, has been a consistent mainstay of the games industry since its debut entry in 2005. While the series is more successful now than it’s ever been, executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama treats every entry as if it’s the last.
With Yakuza Kiwami 3 set to release alongside its bundled-in Dark Ties story, the series is still going strong. However, the producer isn’t looking to plan out major multi-game stories as it could, one day, end up disappointing fans if a game ends up being scrapped at some point.
Speaking to Famitsu, translated via Automaton, Yokoyama explained that he only saw Yakuza as a series following the release of the third game, believing that the second game could’ve been a satisfying finale for fans. (For example, could you imagine if the third Final Fantasy 7 Remake entry didn’t release? Grim.)
“Even now that it’s a series, I still create each instalment thinking that it could be the final chapter,” the producer explained. “As an example, I still haven’t thought about what happens to Ichiban Kaasuga in the future yet.”
Ichiban Kasuga is the current protagonist of the Like A Dragon games and was last seen in Infinite Wealth and Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Following Yakuza Kiwami 3, many would assume the next game in the series would focus on Ichiban’s continued adventures, but with Yokoyama confirming they still haven’t thought about his future, could we follow a different character for the next mainline game?
When it comes to the popularity of certain characters, Yokoyama did tease that this may have some bearing on their prominence in certain games. (For example, Majima Goro getting his own spin-off.) However, the producer notes that they “believe character popularity won’t emerge unless the game sells well”, stating they’ve never created a character with the intention of them being loved by fans.
While Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios continues work on the Yakuza/Like A Dragon franchise, series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi is working on a completely separate spiritual successor in the form of Gang of Dragon. Currently without a release date, the new game is in development at Nagoshi Studios and follows Shin Ji-seong, a character played by iconic action star Ma Dong-seok, aka Don Lee.
