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The Yakuza franchise has seen a lot of love over the years with its rise into more mainstream gaming territory. While the latest entry in the series may have divided the fanbase, it's clear that fans want more. With that said, publisher SEGA and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku (RGG) Studio have announced an upcoming online event.
The "super talk" video event will feature RGG director Masayoshi Yokoyama. He plans to discuss the future of the iconic beat 'em up franchise. Based on the event's description:
“[Fans] may even be able to hear about the future of Yakuza and various things that only the director of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio can answer!”
What could this mean for the future of Yakuza?
For starters, we will likely get new details on the upcoming game in the series. Whether it will be called Yakuza 8 or something else remains to be seen. However, given the surprise success of the 2020 turn-based RPG Yakuza entry, it probably means there's more to come. But how will fans take to it?
Given the series' roots as a beat 'em up across a dozen or so entries (including spin-offs, remakes and spiritual successors), fan disappointment would be understandable. The latest Yakuza: Like A Dragon does away with action-driven real-time combat for a Dragon Quest-inspired JRPG battle system. Combat is turn-based with a party system and menu selection for attacks.
An odd decision, however, Like A Dragon retains the series' signature whacky sense of humor, over-the-top action and style. While the game has received great reviews (minus criticisms about difficulty spikes and grinding), fans seem to want to return to the basics. Surprisingly, Like A Dragon has been successful despite the outcry, so this means the next game (or Like A Dragon 2?) will also be turn-based.
Fans needn't worry, though. Even if that happens, there's still SEGA's Judgment series. The new IP set in the Yakuza universe sees players control a detective but maintains the spirit of its inspiration with a close-quarter melee system. So even if RGG's beloved beat 'em up might have jumped genres, they still have a backup plan.
Maybe we'll see Judgment 3? Or who knows, they just might decide to revive any of the older niche titles. Like the Ishin series, taking place in mid-1800s Japan. Given the drastic changes the series has undergone, it is admittedly hard to predict now.
What's the latest from RGG Studio? And where to watch the upcoming stream?
With regards to the franchise, Like A Dragon features a brand new character, Ichiban, who sets out on a journey to learn the truth of his betrayal. Last year's Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files DLC lets players control Detective Yagami's friend Kaito. Would you like to see more of Ichiban's turn-based adventures? Or step back into the detective's boots to beat down some thugs?
Airing on April 29, 2022, at Niconico, the stream will be hosted by Atsuko Uchida and can be seen on the site here. On a related note, Yokohama-san is the newly appointed director since other key staff have left the studio. This includes Toshihiro Nagoshi, who retired from the company in February this year and went on to establish his own studio: Nagoshi Studio.
