‘I Create Every Game Like It Could Be the Last’: Like a Dragon Boss Doesn’t Have the Series Planned Out

by

If you’ve played games in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, it probably won’t surprise you that RGG Studio focuses on making each game individually, rather than planning far ahead.

Essentially, the show doesn’t have much of a long-term plan for where the story is going.

Despite the show now being ongoing, executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama says he still approaches each new part as if it could be the last, as he shared in a recent Famitsu interview (reported by Automaton).

To be honest, most of the games give you that feeling. Though the series has characters and storylines that reappear, each game tells a complete story on its own – and those stories almost always have a dramatic, explosive ending.

Yokoyama explains that he hasn’t yet considered what the future holds for Ichiban Kasuga, the main character of Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

The change to turn-based combat in Yakuza: Like a Dragon began as an April Fools’ Day joke, but it quickly became a central feature of the game – a move that’s either celebrated or criticized, depending on your perspective.

Another example of RGG just going with the flow, you could argue.

This also seems to be true for characters. Yokoyama explains that the team doesn’t intentionally design characters to be popular, but a character’s popularity can influence their development in future games, as seen with the now-famous Goro Majima.

What are your thoughts on how the RGG Studio team tackles each new game? And what do you predict will happen with Ichiban’s story? Share your opinions in the comments!

Read More

2026-01-21 02:06