Toshihiro Nagoshi, the creator of the Like a Dragon franchise (formerly known as Yakuza), has revealed some new tidbits of information regarding his next project, and if you're hoping for something less bloated and overstuffed than many modern games, you may well be in luck.
In an interview with Famitsu (via Automaton Media), Nagoshi says he wants players to be able to complete his new game in "a sensible amount of time", suggesting that the age of games' size being a selling point "is coming to an end".
Nagoshi says that the amount of games available to gamers right now is "bordering on excessive"; he says there are so many games available now that "you can't play them all", and it's hard to disagree with him on that front.
According to Nagoshi, his new project will achieve a "high level of expression" in terms of its character drama, and the game will be "large scale", although it seemingly won't take you hundreds of hours to finish.
In fact, Nagoshi says that his team is currently trying to find ways to make the in-game map smaller because it's currently "too large", which is a rather endearing thing to admit.
Although Nagoshi says his game's systems are complex, he also says he intends the game to be played by adults; it'll have a "rather high age rating", according to Nagoshi himself, and it'll espouse a unique worldview that will make people "think 'What's that? I need to see more' when they first see it".
Nagoshi first announced the aptly-named Nagoshi Studios back in early 2022, with other Sega stalwarts like Masao Shirosaki and Daisuke Sato also joining Nagoshi in his new venture.
He's one of a number of industry luminaries to throw his lot in with Chinese gaming giant NetEase. Others include Call of Duty veteran David Vonderhaar, Mass Effect staffer Mac Walters, and Dragon Quest producer Ryutaro Ichimura.
