[STEAM] Yakuza/Like a Dragon Series to Continue Being About Middle Aged Guys Doing 'Middle Aged Guy Things'

[Steam 0]

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio plans to continue making Yakuza/Like a Dragon games about middle aged men doing "middle aged men things."

Series director Ryosuke Horii told

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he's grateful for Yakuza/Like a Dragon's influx of new players, which includes younger people and women, but said the studio doesn't plan on changing its approach because of it.

"We have had a large increase in new fans, including women, which we’re truly happy and grateful for," Horii said. "However, we don’t plan to do anything like deliberately changing conversation topics in order to cater to new fans."

He continued: "We are middle aged guys ourselves, so I guess that’s the kind of target audience we’re going for, probably. I think this is precisely one of [the series'] selling points. In

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, everything starts with three unemployed middle aged guys being like, 'Let’s go to [the job centre].' They have a different air about them than a group of young heroes would, complaining about back pain and the like. But this humanity you feel from their age is what gives the game originality."

The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series,

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, focused on original protagonist Kiryu Kazuma through the first six games and prequel

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. While he was just 20 in that game, Kiryu was 37 in the first Yakuza (

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), 38 in Yakuza 2 (

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), then 41, 42, 44, and eventually 48 in Yakuza 6. He appears in later games too, and continues to grow older alongside the series.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, who takes over from Kiryu in what's essentially Yakuza 7, is 42 in that game and 46 in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (essentially Yakuza 8). The series does feature plenty of characters who aren't middle aged men, but most of its main cast are.

"The characters are flesh and blood human beings much like our players are, so their problems are relatable," Horii said. "That’s why it’s easy to really get into the game and feel like you’re listening to conversations between ordinary people. There isn’t any typical 'game-like' language like 'where is the treasure chest?'"

Yakuza/Like a Dragon lead planner Hirotoka Chiba gave an example. "There’s a conversation where Adachi is conflicted about whether he should drink ***** or not because he’s worried about his uric acid level," he said. "We’re making the hearty talks of middle-aged dudes our identity, rather than youthfulness."

Fans expecting a hard left turn in the next game,

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, may therefore have to think again.

Adachi is conflicted about whether he should drink ***** or not because he’s worried about his uric acid level. It's unknown if this new game (or potentially games) is the next mainline Yakuza/Like a Dragon entry, another spin-off game like

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, another remake like Yakuza: Kiwami or Like a Dragon: Ishin, another game from spin-off series

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, or something else entirely, however.

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in August 2024, however, and RGG has already said fans will be "surprised" by the reveal.

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, IGN said: "Sprawling, enthralling, and packed with dynamic brawling, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t just the best turn-based Like a Dragon game, it’s one of the greatest games in the entire series."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

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