The Yakuza Franchise Will Continue As Turn-Based RPGs

Talk about taking a joke too far. On April 1, 2019, Yakuza developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio pranked the whole world by releasing a fake gameplay reveal trailer of their then-upcoming game of the Yakuza series. The trailer had shown the gameplay strictly revolved around turn-based combat, something entirely different from mainstream Yakuza games. Since all this was part of the studio’s April Fool’s prank, the situation backfired on them… positively.

It turned out that the fake gameplay was received so well by the broad consensus, the studio decided to reinvigorate the whole gameplay system of the game thereby pushing the release date for an indefinite period of time. Yakuza: Like A Dragon’s development started out as just another brawler, but fate had other intentions for this exceedingly anticipated RPG.

Therefore, speaking with IGN in an interview recently, the director of Yakuza Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa confirmed that the franchise would continue with turn-based gameplay. It was said, “The Yakuza series has been transformed into a turn-based RPG. On the other hand, over the years, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has accumulated resources and know-how of making flashy and exhilarating action games that are effortless to enjoy. We decided that we should let our signature action gameplay live on through Lost Judgment.”

While the mainline Yakuza franchise has evolved into something new after all these years of top-tier fighting gameplay, the famous Japanese studio is focusing on another IP to carry the legacy of Yakuza’s brawling action. Being a spin-off to the series of Yakuza, Judgement was released a little over 2 years ago and features the iconic gameplay style of Yakuza.

In recent times, a sequel to this game, Lost Judgement, has been announced and it seems that Ryu Ga Gotoku isn’t just done with their line of action-packed melee fights yet. You can deliver exhilarating beatdowns in Lost Judgement and continue the Yakuza fever if strategy-style games aren’t your thing. The creators of Yakuza have confirmed, therefore, that anything coming after Yakuza: Like A Dragon will feature similar gameplay and turn-based fights.

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