What you need to know
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the developers behind the popular Yakuza franchise have recently announced three new titles that will be released between 2023 and 2024.
- Like a Dragon 8, the next mainline JRPG entry starring Ichiban Kasuga and Kiryu Kazuma. Like a Dragon: Ishin!, a spin-off title set during 1800s Japan following Ryoma Sakamoto. And, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, a side-entry that follows Kiryu Kazuma’s story after Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.
Recently, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, the development team behind the popular Yakuza franchise, unveiled three new upcoming titles for the franchise. These games are Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and finally, Like a Dragon 8. All these games are planned to hit Xbox consoles and PC over the next two years, adding to the sizeable upcoming games line-up for 2023 and beyond.
Here’s what we know so far.
Like a Dragon 8
Like a Dragon 8 is the next mainline entry in the Yakuza series. Not much is currently known about this title except that it will again star Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and that it will be another turn-based JRPG adventure. Except for this time, Kazuma Kiryu, Ichiban’s predecessor, will be featured as a dual protagonist with a new hairstyle, and he will get his own party members to fight alongside him.
Like a Dragon 8 is scheduled to be released on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Windows in 2024.
Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a remake of a 2014 spin-off released only in Japan on the PlayStation 3 and 4 called Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! Set in a fictionalized version of mid-1800s Japan, you play Sakamoto Ryoma (played by Kazuma Kiryu), a real-life samurai on a quest for vengeance to find the assassin who murdered his master.
Like the original game, Like a Dragon: Ishin! will be an action-adventure game with a beat’em up combat system. The remake will feature updated graphical enhancements and several characters from the Yakuza series taking the roles of historical figures from this tumultuous time in Japan’s history.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is scheduled to be released sometime in 2023 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Windows.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is an upcoming side-story focusing on Kazuma Kiryu, the long-time protagonist of the franchise before Ichiban. Not much is currently known about this title other than it will be another action-adventure game, and it will shed on what Kiryu has been up to after Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, eventually leading up to his next big appearance in Like a Dragon 8.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is scheduled to launch in 2023 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Windows.
Expect to see more info on these new Yakuza titles at the Tokyo Game Show, starting this week on Sept. 15, 2022.
