One or the other reader may have already noticed that the new announcements from Sega have one thing in common: they are all called Like a Dragon, none are called Yakuza – for reasons.
No fewer than three titles were announced under the Like a Dragon flag this week, and observant readers will be aware that the Yakuza title doesn’t appear in any of these games, although the entire series has sailed under the flag so far.
Compared to colleagues from my box Sega has commented and confirmed that the Yakuza name has been shelved and will not appear again in the future. Like a Dragon will be the brand under which future games will appear.
The reason is as simple as it can be: “The name is closer to the Japanese name”. The games are already running there under the title Ryuga Gotoku, which means Like a Dragon in German. And the developer studio also bears this name.
So for the Japanese fans, the whole action means no change at all, while the western market can now get used to the new title. Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the seventh part of the Yakuza series, was the last game with the old name and at the same time the new one.
The name “Yakuza” seems to be history, but the new installment Like a Dragon 8 will be released in 2024 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows and Steam.
