Yakuza Maker’s Promising New PS5 Game May Soon Be Sleeping with the Fishes as Funding Is Cut

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The highly anticipated game from Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, tentatively titled Gang of Dragon, might be cancelled. Publisher NetEase is reportedly planning to stop funding the project.

The large Chinese company recruited the experienced SEGA developer in 2021 to lead a new studio. However, recent shifts in their strategy have led them to stop funding several major game projects, and it appears Nagoshi Studio will be affected next.

Bloomberg reports that staff were informed of the decision on Friday, and payments will end in May. This gives the team some time to look for a new publisher, but it seems likely the publication will close.

The game reportedly needs an additional $44 million (about ¥7 billion) to finish, and this was a key reason why NetEase decided to stop working on it.

The organization seems to be okay with the studio continuing the project on their own, but the studio will need to pay the publisher for any work already done while under their guidance.

It’s disappointing that this promising PlayStation 5 game is facing difficulties. We were impressed with what we saw of Gang of Dragon when it was first revealed last year at The Game Awards.

Starring the popular actor Don Lee, this film feels like a natural step forward for the Yakuza series, offering a sense of where the original creator intended to take the story.

This new version of the game seemed poised to be something completely different, focusing more on weapons and vehicles than previous installments. Unfortunately, it now appears the project has been cancelled.

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2026-03-07 14:06