Automaton interviewed Masayoshi Yokoyama, the Director of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio about the Like a Dragon series:

Exclusive: Like a Dragon rep talks about Gaiden’s sales, Infinite Wealth’s tremendous volume and whether we can expect a Game Pass release (the answer is no) 

Sega released Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his name in November, and is already preparing to launch Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, a new entry to the main series, on January 26. How has the response to Gaiden been so far? How long is Infinite Wealth and will it be available via Game Pass? We asked Masayoshi Yokoyama, the Director of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, to find out. 

──How is Like a Dragon: Gaiden performing in terms of sales? 

Yokoyama: In Japan, sales have been surprisingly good. The game’s been very well received, and as a result, we’ve been able to hold more demo events. Thank you all so much. 

──You often mention the Like a Dragon series’ growing overseas popularity, but this time it’s the domestic sales that stand out? 

Yokoyama: Yes, domestic sales this time around are astonishing, I can really feel the series’ popularity reigniting in Japan. Gaiden might be our best-selling title in recent times. 

──Congratulations! Did it exceed your expectations? 

Yokoyama: It doubled my expectations. Frankly, up until the release, I wasn’t that confident in Gaiden in terms of sales. 

──Why not? 

Yokoyama: It’s not that I wasn’t confident in it as a game, but since we were working on Gaiden alongside Infinite Wealth, which is of a formidable quality and volume, I’d always end up comparing the two. Because of this, I wasn’t able to have complete confidence in Gaiden, and I wasn’t sure how players would react to it. I thought, what if they say things like, “This doesn’t count as a Like a Dragon game volume-wise!” or “The story’s too short!” (laughs). So, nobody on the team was expecting the reception to be this good. 

──I see, so being conscious of Infinite Wealth is what caused the uncertainty. 

Yokoyama: There were two main goals I had with Like a Dragon: Gaiden. Among overseas players, there are many people who entered the series with Yakuza: Like a Dragon (in which Ichiban Kasuga is the protagonist) and don’t have a deep understanding of Kiryu Kazuma’s character, so Gaiden serves to help people get to know him and bridge the gap between titles.  On the other hand, for players who have been with the series for a long time, Gaiden is a story they can really get emotionally invested in. These are the two goals I had going into the creation of Gaiden, and I think we’ve managed to pull off both. 

[...]

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Gameinformer talked with chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto about the combat styles in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name:

How RGG Made Like A Dragon Gaiden's New Secret Agent Combat

Earlier this month, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio released its second – and not to mention best – game of 2023, the hilariously longly titled Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. One of the most notable features is how RGG rethought its classic brawler combat. Protagonist Kazuma Kiryu now has two fighting stances, Yakuza and Agent, the latter of which comes with a host of new secret-agent tools, such as an exploding cigarette, a Spider-Man-like cable he can use to whip enemies around, and so on. 

We recently had a chat with RGG series chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto – who we spoke with last year about the future of the studio – to learn how Gaiden's new combat together, maintaining the series' identity despite how much has changed over the years, and why RGG doesn't look to other games for inspiration.

This interview has been lightly edited for brevity.

GAME INFORMER: Can you walk me through the early conversations about expanding Kiryu's fighting styles with the Agent stance?

Hiroyuki Sakamoto: We had discussed two points: what gadgets to use and whether they could be put together in such a way that they could be considered "a style."

First of all, this time, Kiryu is in the position of an agent, so we decided from the early stages of development that we wanted to include something different from the yakuza styles of the past. Since our main focus has been on full-contact fighting battles, we decided to include a battle style that had never been seen before. We were aiming for something tricky and strategic, not just button-mashing combos.

At first, the story was developed independently of each other, with the story being the story and the battles being the battles. As development progressed to a certain extent, we began to link the gadget settings to the special skills of the Daidoji faction. Therefore, the enemy agents of the Daidoji faction also began to use their own gadgets, thus tying the storyline and the battles together.

[...]

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IGN shows the beginning of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name:

First 11 Minutes of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

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ACG reviewed the upcoming RPG Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name:

The Boss is Back - Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man who Erased His Name - Review

In Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, players control Kazuma Kiryu as they explore the Sotenbori district of Osaka and Isezaki Ijincho district of Yokohama. A third location, known as the Castle, is a hub area where players can participate in side activities. Minigames such as karaoke, Pocket Circuit racing, cabaret club, and fighting arena also return. A new character named Akame acts as an informant, providing Kiryu with sub-missions.

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GameSpot collected some info about the upcoming Like a Dragon Gaiden:

Like A Dragon Gaiden Everything To Know

Automaton has interviewed Masayoshi Yokoyama and Hiroyuki Sakamoto about the upcoming games Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth:

The Like a Dragon series producers talk about the “Don’t change anything” policy they upkeep and fandom behavior that has surprised them 

Sega has the release of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (hereinafter referred to as Like a Dragon Gaiden) planned for November 9, 2023, as well as the release of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (hereinafter referred to as Like a Dragon 8) on January 26, 2024. Like a Dragon Gaiden will fill in the blanks between Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, telling the story of Kazuma Kiryu who, during the events of Yakuza 6, faked his own death and went into hiding, becoming “the man who is supposed to be dead.” Like a Dragon 8 will feature both Kazama Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga as protagonists. 

 During Tokyo Game Show 2023, we were able to sit down and have a talk with Masayoshi Yokoyama and Hiroyuki Sakamoto and, though they have two new titles lined up for release, we decided to talk to them about the remarkable overseas reception of the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series and the culture that has grown around it. 

──How are you involved in the upcoming titles? 

Yokoyama: 

I’m involved in the overall direction of the production as a whole and I’m in charge of the story. I oversee all aspects of production, including so-called marketing. 

Sakamoto: 

For both titles, I carry out project design, detailed specifications and various adjustments in the capacity of chief producer. 

──(To Sakamoto) So, your work is a bit more “on-site”? 

Sakamoto: 

I would say that up to one third of it is on-site, though we have come to the point where I can entrust a lot of things to others as well. But for things that define the overall direction in which the projects are going, such as game-design related aspects, I was quite directly involved from the start. 

[...]

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Voice actor Yong Yea tweeted that the English dub for Like a Dragon Gaiden will be released after launch as a seperate download:

Tweet:

Since Like A Dragon: Gaiden is a few weeks away and many may not know about this, thought I should let you know the English dub will not be available on the 11/8 launch date and will release as a post-launch patch (no official date yet). Hope you'll look forward to it!

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IGN interviewed chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto about Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name:

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - How Kiryu is Like Superman | gamescom 2023

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Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Like a Dragon Gaiden:

Like a Dragon Gaiden - Official Overview Trailer and Developer Update

Gematsu reports that SEGA published new info about Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name:

Publisher SEGA and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have released new information and screenshots on the story, characters, and organizations of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

Get the details below, via the official website.

What must you sacrifice to protect the ones you love?

A former legend in the yakuza world, Kazuma Kiryu fakes his death in order to protect his loved ones.

Having become an agent for the Daidoji Faction and assigned the codename “Joryu,” Kiryu hunts down an illegal gold smuggling site in the Port of Yokohama. It was supposed to be an easy assignment; little more than loose change for the organization. When he arrives, he finds several dozen Daidoji agents on standby. Despite having reached the rank of chairman within the Tojo Clan, Kiryu has maintained a relatively low profile among his peers here. Unable to resist their provocation, he ends up violently lashing out, which only widens the gaping hole inside him.

However, at that very moment, a mysterious group shows up.

The deal had gone sour. No outsider should have known about it. And amid the chaos and confusion, the shady group seems to recognize Kiryu. They mustn’t be allowed to vanish into the shadows.

Though he had severed all ties to his past, Kazuma Kiryu finds himself stepping into the maelstrom of the underworld once more…

[...]

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A panel featuring character introductions and more details on Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth at the RGG Summit:

RGG Summit Summer 2023

LaD: Gaiden Trailer - 14:40
(Gaiden) Yakuza Style - 19:10
(Gaiden) Agent Style - 20:35
(Gaiden) THE MAN IS BACK - 45:09
LaD: Infinite Wealth / 8 Trailer - 53:11
(LaD: 8) Cutscene (probably) - 1:00:12

The action RPG Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will be released on November 8:

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

There is a mysterious container ship located in Osaka Bay. At its center is a cage where your fighting skills will be put to the test. You might be the strongest so far, but three new legendary yakuza fighters just entered the arena! Can you leave the cage victorious?

ERASE YOUR PAST TO PROTECT YOUR FUTURE
Once a legendary yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu faked his own death and abandoned his name for the sake of protecting his family. Now, he is thrust into conflict by a mysterious figure attempting to drive him out of hiding.

Under the codename “Joryu,” Kiryu embarks on a gripping action narrative with bone-shattering combat in vibrant locations filled with exciting characters and activities.

ULTIMATE COMBAT WITH TWO HIGH-IMPACT FIGHTING STYLES

Dynamically switch between the Yakuza and Agent fighting styles in visceral melee combat.

With the Yakuza style, strike fear into enemies by unleashing wildly aggressive moves powered by Kiryu’s unparalleled strength and flair.

Or up the ante with the Agent style by delivering blows with absolute speed and precision, while using an array of high-tech gadgets like electrified bind wires to stun enemies then send them flying.

Strategically adapt to the situation and leverage both styles to dominate and destroy hordes of enemies.

ENDLESS ENTERTAINMENT

Whether you're brawling in the secret Battle arena, singing a new karaoke song, enjoying a drink at the live-action cabaret club, or racing in the pocket circuit, the world offers a variety of immersive experiences.

An intriguing informant named Akame also provides thrilling sub-missions, drawing you into an epic showdown that unfolds the more you explore and enjoy Sotenbori and Yokohama.

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