2021 is the 10-year anniversary for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, and the developer behind theYakuzaseries has just confirmed that it will be transitioning to a new structure. This announcement comes just 2 weeks afterthe release ofLost Judgment, which continues the story of Takayuki Yagami and his partner Masaharu Kaito.
Earlier today, it was confirmed that asequel toYakuza: Like A Dragonis currently in development at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. It will continue the story of Ichiban Kasuga, who took over from Kazuma Kiryu as the protagonist of theYakuzaseries. This sequel will likely build upon the new battle system introduced inLike A Dragon, as the series completes its transition from a brawler to a turn-based RPG. The same post that revealed this information also mentions that two key members will be leaving SEGA and RGG Studio.
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It is confirmed Toshihiro Nagoshi and Daisuke Sato will be leaving SEGA, and both had some words to share with the audience. Nagoshi thanks the fans for supporting theYakuzaseries throughout the years, as well as his colleagues for their work on the franchise. He mentions that a new Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is born and it will continue to build upon the foundation of this series. He asks the current members of RGG Studio to keep challenging themselves, and requests fans to continue to support them.
The next message is from Daisuke Sato who mentions that Series Producer Yokoyama will now take over the position of Studio Lead. Sato had been involved with theYakuzafranchise since the beginning, and served as head of RGG Studio for 9 years. Sato believes that the studio can carry this momentum to reach greater heights. He goes on to thank the audience as well as everyone who has worked on theYakuzaseries, and will now look forward to new titles made by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio as a fan.
Earlier in August, it was reported thatthe creator of theYakuzaseries will be leaving SEGAafter 32 years. Back then, Nagoshi had apparently entered final negotiations with Chinese tech company NetEase, and it looks like all of those reports will turn out to be true. However, it is a surprise that Daisuke Sato is also leaving SEGA with him.
Regardless, theYakuzaseries is at the height of its popularity, and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has been releasing great games at an impressive pace. The future of theYakuzafranchise is looking brighter than ever, so it makes sense for veteran studio heads to seek new challenges.
