The Like a Dragon series producers talk about the “Don’t change anything” policy they upkeep and fandom behavior that has surprised them

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The Like a Dragon series producers talk about the “Don’t change anything” policy they upkeep and fandom behavior that has surprised them - AUTOMATON WEST

An interview with the creators of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Masayoshi Yokoyama and Hiroyuki Sakamoto talk influences and fandom behavior.

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Sega has the release of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (hereinafter referred to as Like a Dragon Gaiden) planned for November 9, 2023, as well as the release of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (hereinafter referred to as Like a Dragon 8) on January 26, 2024. Like a Dragon Gaiden will fill in the blanks between Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, telling the story of Kazuma Kiryu who, during the events of Yakuza 6, faked his own death and went into hiding, becoming “the man who is supposed to be dead.” Like a Dragon 8 will feature both Kazama Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga as protagonists.


During Tokyo Game Show 2023, we were able to sit down and have a talk with Masayoshi Yokoyama and Hiroyuki Sakamoto and, though they have two new titles lined up for release, we decided to talk to them about the remarkable overseas reception of the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series and the culture that has grown around it.

──How are you involved in the upcoming titles?

Yokoyama:

I’m involved in the overall direction of the production as a whole and I’m in charge of the story. I oversee all aspects of production, including so-called marketing.

Sakamoto:

For both titles, I carry out project design, detailed specifications and various adjustments in the capacity of chief producer.

──(To Sakamoto) So, your work is a bit more “on-site”?

Sakamoto:

I would say that up to one third of it is on-site, though we have come to the point where I can entrust a lot of things to others as well. But for things that define the overall direction in which the projects are going, such as game-design related aspects, I was quite directly involved from the start.