Like a Dragon Gaiden took only six months to make, originally planned as DLC |UP| RGG knew it was time to take "Like A Dragon" overseas.

[Gamernyc78]

Update 3/25

RGG Studio Knew "The Time Was Right" For Like A Dragon To Move Overseas

RGG Studio Knew "The Time Was Right" For Like A Dragon To Move Overseas

We spoke with Infinite Wealth chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto about taking the series overseas for the first time.

www.thegamer.com

Like a Dragon Gaiden took only six months to make, originally planned as DLC

Like a Dragon developer RGG Studio has revealed Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name was created in half a…

www.eurogamer.net

Gaiden was initially meant to be a DLC for Infinite Wealth, Yokoyama also revealed. "We could have just told of Kiryu's past through a 30-minute interlude as part of [Infinite Wealth]," he stated, "but we decided it would be a lot more interesting as a game of its own". This was first intended as a DLC, but the team thought it was "engaging" enough to be a fully fledged game. Gaiden uses the same engine, which helped to speed up development Yokoyama added. "In the end, it took us about half a year to make it."

 

[toadsage44]

Doesn't surprise me. They crank out those games like they're going out of style. I'm pretty much done with them after Yakuza Like a Dragon since they've bent the knee to M$, but even if that weren't the case, I don't know how I could afford to keep up with their games at the pace they put them out. Also don't know how I could keep up with the convoluted stories with this many entries.

 

[Gamernyc78]

Doesn't surprise me. They crank out those games like they're going out of style. I'm pretty much done with them after Yakuza Like a Dragon since they've bent the knee to M$, but even if that weren't the case, I don't know how I could afford to keep up with their games at the pace they put them out. Also don't know how I could keep up with the convoluted stories with this many entries.

Lol word every month I feel like I hear a new version coming out.

 

[KiryuRealty]

So, not only did they pointlessly bring back Kiryu after an emotional and well-deserved send-off in 6 and a cool cameo in 7, they shat this out in less than half the time it took them to make the other Yakuza games.


No wonder Nagoshi bailed if this was what SEGA wanted him to do. As I’ve said before and will no doubt say again, SEGA is a suicidally stupid company.


And, once again, fuck then for bending over for the green dick and screwing the loyal Yakuza fans over continually for years now. This Xbox-first strategy is more of an insult than the US release of Yakuza 3 and when SEGA Japan announced that there would be no more English localizations and Yakuza 5 would never come west.

The biggest reason Yakuza is popular now is the effort Sony went to in localizing 5 and making 4 and 5 available as PlayStation Plus titles.

 

[Zeno]

Like a Dragon Gaiden took only six months to make, originally planned as DLC

Like a Dragon developer RGG Studio has revealed Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name was created in half a…

www.eurogamer.net

Gaiden was initially meant to be a DLC for Infinite Wealth, Yokoyama also revealed. "We could have just told of Kiryu's past through a 30-minute interlude as part of [Infinite Wealth]," he stated, "but we decided it would be a lot more interesting as a game of its own". This was first intended as a DLC, but the team thought it was "engaging" enough to be a fully fledged game. Gaiden uses the same engine, which helped to speed up development Yokoyama added. "In the end, it took us about half a year to make it."

Wouldn't wonder me if there is an agreement with MS to crank out these games to fill game pass. At the pace they are releasing Yakuza games, I have a feeling that "if" the games are profitable it's not mainly because of copies sold. Maybe the development costs are low for the games.

No wonder Nagoshi bailed if this was what SEGA wanted him to do. As I’ve said before and will no doubt say again, SEGA is a suicidally stupid company.

Not sure about that, looking at their earnings over the past few years, they are looking much better now. The strategy they are currently following seems to be working for them.

 

[KiryuRealty]

Wouldn't wonder me if there is an agreement with MS to crank out these games to fill game pass. At the pace they are releasing Yakuza games, I have a feeling that "if" the games are profitable it's not mainly because of copies sold. Maybe the development costs are low for the games.


Not sure about that, looking at their earnings over the past few years, they are looking much better now. The strategy they are currently following seems to be working for them.

Look at their sales.

As soon as Phil pulls that cock out of their ass, SEGA is in dire straits again.

 

[JAHGamer]

IMO this is a positive, not a negative. Just because it was made in a shorter period doesn't mean it will be bad, not every game needs a 4+ year development cycle. We got GTA 3, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas in less than 3 years and all of those games were amazing. Other sequels that came out relatively quickly were Uncharted 1/2 and 4/Lost Legacy, God of War 1/2, Infamous 1/2, Spider-Man 2018/Miles Morales. I'd much rather the industry stick with this style of development than the current unsustainable model.

Also don't know how I could keep up with the convoluted stories with this many entries.

The overarching story is pretty straightforward, it's only what happens in between that can be a little all over the place, but that's why we love Yakuza.

The biggest reason Yakuza is popular now is the effort Sony went to in localizing 5 and making 4 and 5 available as PlayStation Plus titles.

Facts, but really it's Sony's fault that they "lost" such a critical partner. I can't be mad at Sega for taking free money....they would be dumb not to accept it.

 

[KiryuRealty]

IMO this is a positive, not a negative. Just because it was made in a shorter period doesn't mean it will be bad, not every game needs a 4+ year development cycle. We got GTA 3, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas in less than 3 years and all of those games were amazing. Other sequels that came out relatively quickly were Uncharted 1/2 and 4/Lost Legacy, God of War 1/2, Infamous 1/2, Spider-Man 2018/Miles Morales. I'd much rather the industry stick with this style of development than the current unsustainable model.

The overarching story is pretty straightforward, it's only what happens in between that can be a little all over the place, but that's why we love Yakuza.

Facts, but really it's Sony's fault that they "lost" such a critical partner. I can't be mad at Sega for taking free money....they would be dumb not to accept it.

A shareholder report from SEGA Japan a year or two back showed that the MS money hats were barely more than the cost of the ports, so it isn’t a hugely profitable venture.

Also, bullshit like no save game transfers for Yakuza 7 and Judgment from PS4 to PS5 at Microsoft’s behest is fucking over the vast majority of their audience, and that always comes back to haunt you.

 

[JAHGamer]

A shareholder report from SEGA Japan a year or two back showed that the MS money hats were barely more than the cost of the ports, so it isn’t a hugely profitable venture.

Where did you see this? That's very surprising if true, I doubt they'd put so many games on GamePass if they weren't making a ton of easy money.

Also, bullshit like no save game transfers for Yakuza 7 and Judgment from PS4 to PS5 at Microsoft’s behest is fucking over the vast majority of their audience, and that always comes back to haunt you.

Yeah, also stuff like Yakuza 7 having a next gen only exclusive release on XBOX, game was stuck at 30fps on PS5 for a few months. I waited for a deep discount to buy it....Persona 4 golden is still 60fps on ps5 and 120fps on Xbox, even tho >70% of the player base is on PlayStation. I didn't/won't buy P3/P4 "remasters" for this reason. I'm going to buy P3 Reload on deep discount as well...

But again, I can't blame anyone but Sony for stuff like this happening. They were complacent and don't value these relationships as much as they should, games like Yakuza and Persona were just as important to PlayStation as games like Uncharted and God of War. They were pretty much de facto 2nd party games. Sony should've done everything in their power to keep the games exclusive or at least get full parity. If Xbox really did get these deals for peanuts, then it looks even worse on Sony.

 

[KiryuRealty]

Where did you see this? That's very surprising if true, I doubt they'd put so many games on GamePass if they weren't making a ton of easy money.

Yeah, also stuff like Yakuza 7 having a next gen only exclusive release on XBOX, game was stuck at 30fps on PS5 for a few months. I waited for a deep discount to buy it....Persona 4 golden is still 60fps on ps5 and 120fps on Xbox, even tho >70% of the player base is on PlayStation. I didn't/won't buy P3/P4 "remasters" for this reason. I'm going to buy P3 Reload on deep discount as well...

But again, I can't blame anyone but Sony for stuff like this happening. They were complacent and don't value these relationships as much as they should, games like Yakuza and Persona were just as important to PlayStation as games like Uncharted and God of War. They were pretty much de facto 2nd party games. Sony should've done everything in their power to keep the games exclusive or at least get full parity. If Xbox really did get these deals for peanuts, then it looks even worse on Sony.

I wouldn’t blame Sony for any of this, as SEGA still has a weird insistence on not supporting Sony like a first-class format that they’ve had since they went third-party.

Things like not porting the SEGA AGES digital releases to PS4 are just dumb business decisions, and it wouldn’t shock me if their continued gobbling of the green cock was based in that old grudge.

The real insult is that Xbox REJECTED the original Yakuza back in the day, but Sony eagerly approved the game and gave it some great promotional backing in Japan.

As for the sales stuff, it was in SEGA’s financials for the year Yakuza 7 released. Basically, they made a single-digit profit margin on the Xbox ports of the Yakuza and Persona ports due to MS paying the port development costs and it was noted that sales were low and Game Pass downloads weren’t meeting expectations, but the deal was for multiple years of releases to Game Pass.

 

[Box]

I dont like how the new Yakuza games are so silly, they are becoming like Saints Row.

Is it too much to ask for a Semi Grounded GTA competitor? Why does every competitor go for the "silly" route?

 

[JAHGamer]

I wouldn’t blame Sony for any of this, as SEGA still has a weird insistence on not supporting Sony like a first-class format that they’ve had since they went third-party.

Things like not porting the SEGA AGES digital releases to PS4 are just dumb business decisions, and it wouldn’t shock me if their continued gobbling of the green cock was based in that old grudge.

The real insult is that Xbox REJECTED the original Yakuza back in the day, but Sony eagerly approved the game and gave it some great promotional backing in Japan.

As for the sales stuff, it was in SEGA’s financials for the year Yakuza 7 released. Basically, they made a single-digit profit margin on the Xbox ports of the Yakuza and Persona ports due to MS paying the port development costs and it was noted that sales were low and Game Pass downloads weren’t meeting expectations, but the deal was for multiple years of releases to Game Pass.

You’re preaching to the choir…I agree with you what Sega is doing is incredibly dumb, but I disagree with you that it IS Sonys fault. PlayStation is the only reason Yakuza exists, and the main reason why Persona is popular. Which is even more reason why Sony should’ve never let it get to this point. They simply didn’t do what they were supposed to do. BTW, this all happened under Jim Ryan and Herman Hulsts, Jim closed down Japan Studio and Hermen reportedly sided with that decision. So none of this surprises me one bit. They didn’t value these relationships and now their own customers are paying the price.

I dont like how the new Yakuza games are so silly, they are becoming like Saints Row.

Is it too much to ask for a Semi Grounded GTA competitor? Why does every competitor go for the "silly" route?

No idea what you’re talking about, Yakuza has always had a lot of lighthearted silly moments…it’s part of what makes the series amazing.

 

[Kokoloko]

You’re preaching to the choir…I agree with you what Sega is doing is incredibly dumb, but I disagree with you that it IS Sonys fault. PlayStation is the only reason Yakuza exists, and the main reason why Persona is popular. Which is even more reason why Sony should’ve never let it get to this point. They simply didn’t do what they were supposed to do. BTW, this all happened under Jim Ryan and Herman Hulsts, Jim closed down Japan Studio and Hermen reportedly sided with that decision. So none of this surprises me one bit. They didn’t value these relationships and now their own customers are paying the price.



No idea what you’re talking about, Yakuza has always had a lot of lighthearted silly moments…it’s part of what makes the series amazing.

I agree with him too but I blame Sony. Just like I blame Sony for Japan Studios, losing out on Personas/Yakuza, probably no more Miyazaki exclusives. Suppermassive games and more

 

[JAHGamer]

I agree with him too but I blame Sony. Just like I blame Sony for Japan Studios, losing out on Personas/Yakuza, probably no more Miyazaki exclusives. Suppermassive games and more

Thank you, it’s not a coincidence that everything happened under Jim/Hermen. They inherited a well oiled machine and were way too complacent.

 

[Yurinka]

Well, the games in the series are pretty similar, they made a lot of them and can reuse a huge portion of the work already done.

Still surprising, but I understand they could make it way faster than usual, specially if isn't too long / doesn't have a lot of new activities.

I agree with him too but I blame Sony. Just like I blame Sony for Japan Studios, losing out on Personas/Yakuza, probably no more Miyazaki exclusives. Suppermassive games and more

You’re preaching to the choir…I agree with you what Sega is doing is incredibly dumb, but I disagree with you that it IS Sonys fault. PlayStation is the only reason Yakuza exists, and the main reason why Persona is popular. Which is even more reason why Sony should’ve never let it get to this point. They simply didn’t do what they were supposed to do. BTW, this all happened under Jim Ryan and Herman Hulsts, Jim closed down Japan Studio and Hermen reportedly sided with that decision. So none of this surprises me one bit. They didn’t value these relationships and now their own customers are paying the price.

Sega decided as one of their corporate mid term goals to move to a more multiplatform approach as a company, releasing in all platforms and regions at the same time and with better localization plus also investing harder on game subs because they want to make more money.

As most other big publishers did in the past, because every generation the games require more budget so they need extra revenue to compensate.

It's totally unrelated to Sony, because Sony doesn't own Sega and Sega's IPs.

 

[historia]

This thing getting more stale than Assassin Creed, probably about as well-written as Assassin Creed too.

And much much, much less effort than Assassin Creed.

They put the same map in fucking 8 games, barely change anything. The Osaka gambling town also got copied 5 times, the exact same shit with no changes.

The new Yokohama adultery district map also appear two fucking time, and it is an "clever" asset flip of the Hiroshima map.

 

[Gamernyc78]

RGG Studio Knew "The Time Was Right" For Like A Dragon To Move Overseas​

RGG Studio Knew "The Time Was Right" For Like A Dragon To Move Overseas

We spoke with Infinite Wealth chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto about taking the series overseas for the first time.

www.thegamer.com

 

[Nhomnhom]

This thing getting more stale than Assassin Creed, probably about as well-written as Assassin Creed too.

And much much, much less effort than Assassin Creed.

They put the same map in fucking 8 games, barely change anything. The Osaka gambling town also got copied 5 times, the exact same shit with no changes.

The new Yokohama adultery district map also appear two fucking time, and it is an "clever" asset flip of the Hiroshima map.

I think excessive numbers of releases just keep people away from the IP long term. At least that is the case for me, I have zero chance of ever catching up.

 

[Gamernyc78]

I think excessive numbers of releases just keep people away from the IP long term. At least that is the case for me, I have zero chance of ever catching up.

Tht happens to me as well. Makes not even want to play them.

 

[JAHGamer]

I think excessive numbers of releases just keep people away from the IP long term. At least that is the case for me, I have zero chance of ever catching up.

Tht happens to me as well. Makes not even want to play them.

you guys are missing out on one of the best franchises in gaming, Yakuza is tied with God of War as my favorite gaming series. But I've been playing it since PS2 so trying to catch up now would be daunting but still doable I think.

Just start with Yakuza 0 and you'll get HOOKED