Three new Like a Dragon games have been announced. During today's RGG Summit event, we learned about the next major installment in the Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) franchise, as well as a remake of a cult Japanese title and a new story starring Kazuma Kiryu.
What new Like a Dragon games did we learn about at RGG Summit?
First, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way: the Yakuza franchise appears to have rebranded in the West as Like a Dragon. That's always been the series' Japanese name, and it was also the title of the most recent mainline entry in the franchise. The rebrand is likely happening for a number of reasons; parity with the Japanese version, licensing issues, and merchandise could all be contributing factors.
Either way, three new Like a Dragon games are on their way. The first is Like a Dragon 8, which will be a continuation of Ichiban Kasuga's story after Kazuma Kiryu handed over the protagonist reins in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. If the trailer is to be believed, though, Kiryu will also be a major character in the game; he appears alongside Ichiban in the teaser, sporting a brand new hairstyle to boot.
Our second new Like a Dragon game is Like a Dragon: Ishin!, an enhanced remake of the 2014 Japan-only game Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin!. This one reimagines the cast of the Like a Dragon games as samurai during the Bakumatsu period, a time of great social and political upheaval for Edo Japan. You'll be able to spot familiar faces like Kiryu, Date, and Majima, but they're all going by different names here. While this game was originally announced last night at the Sony State of Play the RGG Summit went into further detail as to what fans can expect
Finally, we also got our first look at the evocatively titled Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man who Erased his Name. It sees the return of Kazuma Kiryu as protagonist and follows him after the events of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Despite seemingly trying to live a life of peace and tranquility, Kiryu looks like he's about to get dragged back into the life he's attempting to leave behind. I can't wait to see what Kiryu gets up to in this one.
Since this was the Ryu ga Gotoku Summit, we didn't hear anything about the new franchise the studio has in the works, so we'll have to wait a little longer for news about that. We're also still waiting to hear from Nagoshi Studios, the development outfit founded by original Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi. We'll bring you more on all of these things, as well as the Like a Dragon franchise as a whole, as soon as we get it.
