‘We Might as Well Dissolve the Team Right Now’: Like a Dragon Boss Won’t Bend to Overseas Popularity

Those who have been reading Push Square for a while know we’ve always been big fans of the Yakuza (now Like a Dragon) series. It’s become much more popular over the last ten years or so, though!

Yakuza 0 was key to bringing the Yakuza series to a larger audience in the West. Despite the franchise now being more popular than ever, Masayoshi Yokoyama, the director at RGG Studio, is determined to maintain the series’ unique character and not let popularity change it.

In an interview with Automaton, Yokoyama acknowledged the growing popularity of the Like a Dragon series, but emphasized there’s still significant room for expansion and reaching a wider audience. He stated, “While many people know Like a Dragon, we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Hiroyuki Sakamoto, the lead producer, notes that while Like a Dragon has a dedicated fanbase with active communities, it’s still relatively small overall.

Currently, our main focus is building a strong identity for the Like a Dragon series and the RGG Studio brand,” Yokoyama explains, hinting that the team is always planning ahead.

Even as RGG Studio and SEGA expand the Yakuza series internationally, Yokoyama insists they’ll stay true to the core elements that make it special.

He explained that while creating a game aimed at international players might logically involve a foreign main character and setting, that wouldn’t capture the essence of what makes a Like a Dragon game special. He believes changing that core identity would defeat the purpose of making it.

We need to stay true to our core identity and share that with players. If we can’t do that, there’s no point in continuing with this team or game – we should start over.

Yokoyama believes that businesses often go off track when they lose sight of their core purpose.

It’s interesting to see this new approach, and it makes you think about where the Like a Dragon series is headed. Yakuza: Like a Dragon really changed things up with its turn-based combat, and it’s possible the developers will try something different again in future games.

What are your thoughts on the Like a Dragon series now? What would you like to see in future games? And feel free to share pictures of your tattoos in the comments!

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2025-12-02 19:37