MULTI Yakuza: Like a Dragon

At the moment Sato-san is not in a position to reveal anything specific, but the project code-named Shin Yakuza that is currently in development will include new locations to visit.

The game is set after Yakuza 6, so there are “plenty of opportunities” for beloved characters from past games to appear.

We also hear that Ichiban is completely different from former protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. While Kazuma from the very beginning is well known, has a position, and the support of many friends, Ichiban doesn’t have any money, friend, position, or support. He is the lowest of the low in terms of the Yakuza hierarchy, and the story is also about where he goes from there.

Kazuma is a stoic and “stone-wall-like” character, while Ichiban is an emotional and outspoken character.

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

Sato-san mentioned that Yakuza 0 is a game that is particularly beloved even within the Yakuza development team, so the idea of creating a Yakuza 0-2 (which would be set between Yakuza 0 and the first game of the series) has been bounced around among developer.

That being said, he did not confirm that such a game is in development, or planned for the future.

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

It will still be quite hardcore at the beginning, but I want the player to think "Oh this game seems really interesting" - that's what I'm aiming for this time. That goes for the technology too, though I don't want to say more as it will spoil the fun. By introducing a new and more current systems, I'd like to increase the number of players. And if I do that, I can re-introducing Kiryu-san to some new fans. That would be ideal.

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

It became difficult for Japanese companies to compete with western games of high quality and big budgets (...) if we wanted to do, it would have to be sports, or military, or fantasy (...)and it would need to release worldwide. (...) since everyone was thinking the same things, everyone was making similar games (laughs).
But I thought it wasn't right to follow that direction. So, first, I abandoned the idea of selling worldwide. Next, I decided I wouldn't mind if female players didn't like the game; then that no children were allowed. When I decided all that, the only target left was the japanese male.

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

My bosses took some convincing. I did a presentation twice, and didn't get approval. (...)
Sega was struggling for cash and was very close to bankruptcy, so it merged with Sammy. As soon as it happened, I went to see the new owner and presented the game to him, looking for his approval. Professionally, this was highly irregular and quite wrong. But I knew if the owner said "yes", it would be good for the entire company. (...)
I got his approval, but our CEO was really mad about it (laughs). He said it was unfair.

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

I've never said this before, but while we released this game with Sony, I'd done presentations about it to Microsoft and Nintendo. Back then they said "No we don't want it." Now they say, "We want it!" (laughs) They didn't understand the reason why I created it.

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

I'm often asked how I did all the research, but it's Japanese culture (...) but I did some of my own, yes. I like drinking. I also like women. I was having lots of fun in my life for a long time - whether to shake off my stress from work, or deepen the connection with my subordinates. (...) I learned a lot of interesting stories from the people I met. And some surprising stories, and some sad ones. They became elements of Yakuza's story. The name Kiryu is one of them (...). I often do that in my games - I use the name of a person I liked or who looked after me well. I still do that today.

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

camahan schrieb:

ist das in Japan nicht schon gestartet als F2P ?

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

Nagoshi-san pledged that the new game will bring a major change to the series. While it’s still going to be an action-adventure title, it’s also going to surprise the fans.

The main character is going to be Ichiban Kasuga instead of traditional hero Kazuma Kiryu, and they have very different personalities. Due to that, their ways of acting and philosophies are also very different, and this will change the game as well.

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

This will also bring changes to the narration: previous Yakuza games had very serious main scenarios, while the humor was normally confined within the sidequests. Since Ichiban Kasuga is a funny dude and not a brooding stoic hero, the main scenario of the new game will include humor and funny scenes to match its protagonis

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....

Sega Sammy Holdings published its financial report, detailing the company’s results during the last fiscal year. The company revealed through the report that the next main game in the Yakuza series will be launching in the current fiscal year. As in, before the end of March 2020. This is the first time a release date estimate for the next Yakuzagame has been communicated by Sega.

Zum Vergrößern anklicken....