The designer and creative talent behind the iconic Yakuza series of games has been discussing his upcoming new project. In conversation with German games magazine 4Players and spotted by VGC, Toshihiro Nagoshi shed more light on the new game. The developer’s own Nagoshi Studio was formed back in January under the Chinese umbrella company NetEase. Now, Nagoshi has spoken out about his first project since parting ways with SEGA after 30 years.
With the neon-tinted and violence-soaked Yakuza series of games having been so successful, fans may be wondering what’s coming up next from the driving force behind them. With Nagoshi working to establish a team since February, the interview sheds some light on his studio’s main priorities. With its new partnership with NetEase, it’s clear that the expectations for Nagoshi Studio are pretty high, with Nagoshi explaining that the company “expects me to craft a console bestseller.” It may be that a pretty big game is in the works, although we’re still none the wiser on any specifics at the moment.
What we do know though, is that Nagoshi’s next game will retain a fairly Yakuza-like vibe. This will no doubt be comforting to those gamers who hold the longstanding franchise and it’s accompanying visual and gameplay style dear. The developer admits in the interview that his love for the “Yakuza game world” will play a part in the games that he creates, as he enjoys those environments in other titles too. Nagoshi also adds that the new game currently in the works at Nagoshi Studio will lean heavily into elements such as drama and comedy. This will be to ensure the title has a human touch, with “some silliness and some seriousness” at its heart. Specifically, the developer references movie director Quentin Tarantino as thematic inspiration. He explains that ” I want my game to be more like a Quentin Tarantino film, so there’s room for humor.”
As for when eager Yakuza fans can expect to see the new game from Nagoshi Studio, there’s potentially some good news. While the developer openly admits to needing to keep things vague, it seems as though we won’t have to wait too long to see the first bits of the action from his new title. He explains that keeping things quiet isn’t really his style, particularly when he’s working on something he finds exciting. “I’m not the type to hold back something like this for long,” Nagoshi remarks, adding, “I think I’ll go public with this a lot sooner than other developers would!”
We’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more news on the upcoming game from Nagoshi Studio. Hopefully, we’ll get to see the next exciting story from the mind behind one of gaming’s most well-loved franchises sooner rather than later.
