After sixteen years as a franchise, the Sega mainstay ‘Yakuza’ of the early 2000s has decided to drop its name in favour of returning to its original Japanese title of Ryu ga Gotoku or ‘Like a Dragon’.

For many, this may seem an arbitrary or bizarre change in an industry where brand recognition and loyalty are essential for continued sales. However, the reasons behind this change are much more nuanced and interesting than a simple decision to change a title. It bears mentioning from the outset that in Japan, Yakuza was always known as, and is still known as, the ‘Like a Dragon’ series ever since the first game in 2005. And although it centred around the Yakuza, that name was not tagged onto the franchise until the American release the following year. In the decade and a half that has passed since then, the series has evolved beyond its Japanese organised crime setting. Over in Japan, we were treated to historical drama games that have never seen the light of day in the west until now with the reveal of Like a Dragon: Isshin. 

Yakuza as a franchise has only majorly risen to prominence in the last few years through the influence of YouTube and meme culture finding the mix of over-the-top combat and at times hysterical side quests endearing. It set the stage for a positive reception when the seventh game in the series dropped back in 2020, with a full English dub cast not seen since the original. Even acting legends like George Takei of Star Trek fame lent his voice talent to the game showing that the series was coming out of the shadows of a niche cult classic to being seen as a well-loved franchise here in the west.

And it is with this love pairing with the ever-broadening appreciation in the west for Japanese and anime culture that the choice to make the name change back to ‘Like a Dragon’ lies for the latest game in the series.

The Yakuza name was a relic of the early 2000s western gaming industries’ belief that Japanese games had to be tweaked and localised to be appealing to a western audience. But now in 2022, the franchise recognition is based around the characters and style of the game regardless of if it involves the Yakuza or not. Both of the Judgment games take place in the world of Yakuza yet forgo the franchise title for western release to go on to critical acclaim. And now with the announcement of Like a Dragon: Isshin, games that the west was never able to officially play are finally making their way across the pacific for their audience to enjoy.

What does this mean for the future?

For many years, the Japanese gaming industry has been strangely closed off to the west for a lot of its more niche titles, based upon the idea that they won’t sell well in the west so it is better to keep them exclusive to Japan where they are guaranteed a profit. That has changed, no longer is Japanese games culture seen as a strange cult following that everyone would rather shirk in favour of playing the newest Call of Duty. It is an accepted part of western entertainment now, and Japanese companies like Sega are willing to take the chance in broadening the games they view as sellable to the west. Reverting to ‘Like a Dragon’ for western release is a sign that some parts of the Japanese games industry no longer seek to cloister their games behind the notion of ‘is this too Japanese for the west?’

Hopefully, more companies will take Sega’s example in bringing official releases to long-desired games moving forwards.

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The post Yakuza/Like a Dragon 8: What dropping the Yakuza means? first appeared on Get2Gaming.

Good news Yakuza fans! NetEase Games have officially announced the creation of Nagoshi Studio, a new game development studio spear-headed by Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagohsi. Who’s excited for this then?

Back in October 2021, Nagoshi confirmed he would be leaving Ryu Ga Gatoku Studio and SEGA.Subsequently, rumours persisted that he was in final negotiations with Chinese developer and publisher NetEase. After 32 years with SEGA and RGG, this would be a monumental step for the Japanese games producer, but one which now looks to be true.

For those unfamiliar with his best-known work, Yakuza, it is essentially a beat ’em up action adventure RPG, with each instalment typically focusing on crime drama. The original game was critically acclaimed in Japan for ‘combining innovative game play with cinema-like storytelling and character development on the back of Japan’s criminal undergound’. Since then, there have been nine more additional games in the main season, each one going from strength to strength. Could this new studio see the start of another hit franchise?

Yakuza Creator Looks Forward To The Future In Heartfelt Goodbye Message

Whilst SEGA and RGU are certainly going to miss his work, it looks like Nagoshi is striving to help create a better gaming environment for us all. Check out this thought-provoking message he shared, where he looks forward to creating “content for the world to enjoy”.

“The sea of change that began in the entertainment industry in the late 20th century has brought even greater change to the industry in the 21st century,” Nagoshi wrote. “Changes to entertainment content, how it’s made and the business model driven by technology and infrastructure advances have sparked a paradigm shift, and these changes are continuing to unfold with greater and greater speed”.

“What only yesterday had been considered the height of cool now suddenly becomes outdated before you know it. For creators, this makes working in the industry today incredibly challenging. But no matter how the times change, I believe that what people essentially want from entertainment has not changed one bit. People see their dreams in entertainment. People look to entertainment to give them hope in life, to soothe them in times of difficulty, and to add excitement in happy times”. 

“People look to entertainment to provide the spark for all kinds of events. The appetite for entertainment is the same today as it was in the past. There are obviously differences between the past and the present in how entertainment is consumed, its volume and velocity, but its essence remains the same. The only way to deliver this essence to the world is if all creators approach the works they create with seriousness and clarity while grinding away to get closer to reaching the ideal.

“One of my goals at this studio is to create an open atmosphere. This may sound like an overly simplistic goal. But even the most talented creators cannot fully unleash their abilities in isolation. I believe that the first step to creating high-quality titles and delivering the essence of entertainment with strong motivation starts with creating an open atmosphere in the studio.

“This means having open-ended discussions that ignore seniority and hierarchy. This means not fearing mistakes while also not being afraid to correct them, and treating failures as assets. This means not giving up on reaching the ideal, and fighting to get closer to it. This may seem so simple, but the simplest things can unexpectedly be the hardest to do, and at the same time the most important. Nagoshi Studio is committed to creating content for the world to enjoy from this atmosphere.”

Are you excited to see what Nagoshi Studios will produce? Let us know down in the comments below. In the meantime, head on over to our store for all the Yakuza content you could desire! Similarly, check out this article which looks at the prospect of a Yakuza spin off TV Show!

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The post Yakuza Series Creator Sets Up Own Studio first appeared on Get2Gaming.

I’m back in black baby! Which is to say, I’m reporting on recent statements from Overwatch 2 staff regarding how Bobby Kotick contributed to slowing down development.

In the immortal words of Shaun Andjen, “I may not know much about fine art, but I do know how to kick a man when he’s down“.

Tracy Kennedy (Professional Rhyming Name-Haver), a producer on Overwatch 1&2, opened up recently regarding issues developers were facing, largely caused by Bobby Kotick (Professional Trash-Mammal). So, let’s unpack this, shall we?

Monsieur Kotique would reportedly repeatedly ‘shove “random projects for OW1″‘ for the devs working on Overwatch 2. This contributed to resources being spread thinner than marmite on unbuttered rivita.

Kennedy also alleged the team had to work overtime to keep up with Kocktick’s demands, resulting in various projects getting scraped in service of keeping the content train running for Overwatch 1.

Tracy Kennedy brought up these claims in response to a recent Bobby Kotick interview, wherein he claimed the Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 delays were major reasons for his leave… I don’t think Bobby’s lying here, maybe he magically realized that his lack of business skills are only matched by his lack of basic human decency.

Feel free to have a butcher’s at Tracy’s tweet if you’re in the mood for putting another anti-Kotick zinger on the spit.

Tracy Kennedy’s statements (as far as I’m aware) haven’t been backed up or denied by other Activision Blizzard staff (ex or otherwise). But let’s not mince words, if bossman says what the bossman wants, then bossman’s wants what’s driving the bossman’s business down, see?

I’ll stop doing that when it stops being funny to read those sections in a 1920s-style radio commentator voice! And on a vaguely-related note, I was today years old when I found out Jimmy Stewart took part in a celebrity roast of Dean Martin! Guess I know what I’ll be up to on my off-hours. Some have studied The Blade. I studied The Roast!

Product Poems:

Yakuza collect debt repaid by Lannister. Honorborne.

Party? Study? Rebel? On my own time, my final fantasy.

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The post Overwatch 2 Producer Blames Delays on Kotick! first appeared on Get2Gaming.

The judgment spinoff series of the yakuza franchise is in a weird spot right now. The second game, Lost Judgment, came out last year. However, with rumors that the actor for lead character Yagami was severing ties with the studio, it seemed that the series might be on its way out.

While right now there is still no word on whether we will actually see a third Judegment game, it does seem the franchise is set to continue in a new form. According to a report from the Japanese Publication by Nikkan Gendai, TV Asahi is preparting to produce a Television live action series based on the Judgement franchise, with series actor Takuya Kimura said to be reprising his role as private investigator Takayuki Yagami.

The live action version doesnt have an official title yet, but is being referred to as “Sabakarezaru” (裁かれざる [According to google translate]) which can be translated as “unjudged”, which was *also* the japanese title for Lost Judgement. Another source has said a film may be in the works, although no word on whether that is a made-for-tv film or A feature Film.

The news has come during a bit of a drought in Yakuza series content. Fans are currently Waiting to hear more about the sequel to the spinoff “Yakuza: Like A Dragon” (no, its not main series, you dont play as Kiryu), and there is a DLC for lost Judgement called the Kaito DLC coming but it currently has no concrete release window outside of “spring 2022”

As of right now, Lost Judgement is not on PC, which will probably be a sticking point for Sega given the main Yakuza series success on the platform. However, if the TV series turns out to be real it would suggest the actor and their agency are still willing to work on the franchise, even if it isn’t as a videogame any more.

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The post Yakuza Spin off may be getting a TV show first appeared on Get2Gaming.

The future of the Yakuza spin-off Judgement has been unknown for a while now, but it seems there is hope for Yagami yet.

Concerns surrounding the lead character actor severing ties with the game studio lead fans to believe that would be it for Judgement. The most recent entry in the games series was the second of the series, Lost Judgement, which came out in 2021. The gritty crime investigation thriller was widely lauded as a worthy follow-up to the first iteration of the series, but rumours regarding the actor who provided Yagami’s voice and likeness exiting the series were rife even before its launch.

Though it is still uncertain as to whether the Judgement series will receive another game entry, the franchise seems set to continue in a new format. According to a report initially made by Japanese publication Nikkan Gendai and brought to attention for a global audience by Kotaku, TV Asahi is preparing to produce a television live-action series based on the Judgment franchise. Actor Takuya Kimura will supposedly reprise his role as PI Takayuki Yagami.

It’s been a while since we’ve had any updates at all regarding the Yakuza series. Though the sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon has been announced a while ago now, we’re still yet to hear any updates on its progress. There’s also the Kaito DLC arriving in Spring ’22.

While video games do occasionally hit the big screens, it’s not all that often we see a complete change of format. It’ll be interesting to see if the games continue at all, or if this is a permanent move to TV format for the Judgement series.

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The post Yakuza spin-off Judgement getting a TV Series first appeared on Get2Gaming.