In a new interview with Automaton, the Like a Dragon devs defend the franchise’s focus on players doing “middle-aged guy things.” Lead planner Hirotaka Chiba and series director Ryosuke Horii aren’t planning on changing this aspect of the series, despite recent entries bringing in a wider range of players.
“I think that this is precisely one of Like a Dragon’s selling points,” Horii explained. “In Yakuza: Like a Dragon, everything starts with three unemployed middle-aged guys being like ‘let’s go to Hello Work’. They have a different air about them than a group of young heroes would, complaining about back pain and the like. But this ‘humanity’ you feel from their age is what gives the game originality.”
The Yakuza game series began in 2005 with Yakuza for the PlayStation 2. The most recent game in the franchise, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, was released in January 2024 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Recently, it was announced that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and SEGA would host RGG Summit 2024 on September 20. the broadcast will likely feature the newest information about the future of the Like a Dragon series.
“We have had a large increase in new fans, including women, which we’re truly happy and grateful for,” Horii said. “However, we don’t plan to do anything like deliberately changing conversation topics in order to cater to new fans,” Horii continued.
A live-action TV series inspired by the franchise, Like a Dragon: Yakuza, is coming to Amazon Prime Video, with the first three episodes airing on October 25 and the final three on November 1.
