The next game(s) in the Yakuza franchise has officially been revealed, though it’s not exactly called Yakuza. Like a Dragon 8 will be the next mainline entry in the acclaimed Yakuza franchise. It sees the return of the last game’s protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, as well as the series’ protagonist, Kiryu Kazuma. The game is scheduled to launch in 2024 for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Another title, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, was also announced. The game was unveiled at the recent RGG Summit from developer RGG Studio and publisher Sega and it will serve as a side-story that follows what happened to Kiryu after the events of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and before the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
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In Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Kiryu is seemingly going under the name of Joryu who is shown meditating before being disciplined by a monk. The monk tells Kiryu that he is still shackled by his past despite giving up his identity and existence. A cutscene later reveals a mysterious figure that approaches Kiryu with the task of “escorting a certain individual.”
Like a Dragon 8 will adopt the previous game’s turn-based combat system, though it will seemingly tell a much smaller story than the mainline series. That said, fans will still be treated to an expansive experience. As RGG Studio stated, it will roughly be half the size of a regular Yakuza game.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is currently in development for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC set to release in 2023, and it’s recommended by RGG Studio that you play this before Yakuza: Like a Dragon for the timeline of the overarching story. Meanwhile, Like a Dragon 8 is expected to release in 2024. Check out the reveal trailers below.
Source: Sega
