Story Highlights
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has shared the reasons for changing the Yakuza title to the original “Like a Dragon” in the West, which previously confused the fans.
- RGG Studio believed that the game’s message and theme would be perceived differently by Asian and Western audiences, assuming that the latter started the franchise from Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
- In Japan, the official title will remain Ryu Ga Gotoku 8.
- According to RGG Studio, the concept of infinity is also deeply tied to the themes of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
- Unfortunately, the statement has raised more questions, leaving many fans to call it Yakuza 8.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has stated that the title change for Like a Dragon’s Western release is due to its influence on the Western audience’s perspective. The studio believes that the fans from the West, who started the franchise from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, might perceive the message and theme of this title differently if it’s called Like a Dragon.
We’d like to share a message from Masayoshi Yokoyama, Director of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
Thank you for your continued support of the Like a Dragon franchise!
We look forward to you playing Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.#LikeaDragon #InfiniteWealth pic.twitter.com/82045mugg4
— RGG Studio (@RGGStudio) June 15, 2023
After the game was revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase, many fans became curious about its name. Although the game will be called Ryu Ga Gotoku 8 in Japan, its Western release will see “Yakuza” reverting back to the original “Like a Dragon.” Sensing the confusion, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio tweeted its reason behind the latest iteration’s weird choice of title.
The reason for this change is because we determined the messages and themes of this latest game could be perceived differently by fans in Japan and Asian versus those in the West who started the franchise from Yakuza: Like a Dragon,” says Ryu Ga Gotoku in its recent tweet.
For these reasons, the studio felt that the fans whose first experience of the franchise was with Kasuga Ichiban’s story would be able to properly view the complex and intertwined tale of the latest installment with this subtitle. Here, the concept of infinity will be deeply tied to the themes of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. This subtitle was chosen last year when the teaser trailer showed Kazuma Kiryu and Kasuga Ichiban surrounded by the (∞) symbol.
The tweet ended with the following statement, “What does Infinite Wealth mean? Is there really such a thing? We are all eagerly awaiting the day you’ll be able to find out for yourself.” Though the studio gave its reasoning, fans are still confused about why they chose it. One person replied, “This really isn’t getting any less confusing.” Another person replied, “That’s a lot of words that don’t really say anything.”
And let me add that back pedaling on retiring Kiryu shows RGG lacks confidence with this series even though Ichiban proved to a great protagonist and a breath of fresh air in the previous game. Kiryu makes it feel like we are going backwards with this series instead of forward.
— TheWintendoHii (@TheWintendoHii) June 15, 2023
As such, some fans will continue to call it Yakuza 8, similar to how Yakuza: Like a Dragon was Yakuza 7 for some Western fans. One ResetEra user commented, “I’m just gonna refer to it as Yakuza 8 and call it a day.” While it doesn’t matter what the fans call it, the release of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will surely clear up some of the confusion surrounding the name.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and will be released for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in early 2024. It is the 8th main game of the series and will see the franchise’s visit to the stateside.
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