Yakuza creator announces departure, Like a Dragon sequel confirmed

Yakuza series creator and Ryu Ga Gotaku studio head Toshiro Naghoshi has announced that he’s leaving Sega and the studio that he helped found.

“Thank you to the fans who have supported us and the Yakuza series for many years,” Naghoshi said in a statement announcing his departure. “You have my sincerest and deepest gratitude.”

Longtime Yakuza series director Daisuke Sato also announced that he’s leaving the studio and Sega to “take a different path.”

Sato’s statement continued: “I believe that the studio has the power to not only continue the Yakuza series, but also to carry on that momentum even further beyond. The studio’s talented personnel are very capable of accomplishing this, which is why I can leave it in their care with confidence.”

Taking over as head of Ryu Ga Gotaku studio head is Yakuza series producer Masayoshi Yokoyama, while Ryosuke Horii and Hiroyuki Sakamoto are taking over as chief series director and chief series producer respectively. Yokoyama also took this opportunity to confirm that Yakuza: Like a Dragon is getting a sequel.

“Ryu Ga Gotoku’s predecessors have passed down their beliefs and know-how to each and every staff member,” Yokoyama said in his own statement. “You can witness it in the recently released Lost Judgment and will see it in the upcoming sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon which will continue Ichiban Kasuga’s story.”

Yokoyama did not commit to a timeframe as to when we’ll get a look at the next Yakuza title, but assured fans that the studio is working to continue giving them games with that unique Ryu Ga Gotaku feel.

“Whether it’s six months or one year from now, I hope to show you a new Ryu Ga Gotoku title by a new Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio that is different but still the same, and something that will spark a feeling of ‘this is what we are waiting for’ within you. I’d like to continue on my life as a video game creator with earnestness,” he said.