A newYakuzaspin-off calledLike a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Namehas been revealed for release in 2023. TheYakuzaseries has only been growing in popularity in the west sinceYakuza 0introduced a whole new audience to the series in 2017, and 2020’sYakuza: Like a Dragonmanaged to raise the series to even further mainstream success, acting as a soft reboot and a great starting point for newcomers. Now, RGG Studios has announced a game for long-time fans of the series, one that will lead directly into the events ofLike a Dragon 8,Like a Dragon Gaiden.
Yakuza: Like a Dragonmarked the first mainline entry in the series to star a new protagonist, with the studio claiming to have retired past protagonist Kazuma Kiryu withYakuza 6: The Song of Life. While this was a great call for giving the series a soft reboot and introducing a new location, new gameplay mechanics, and new protagonist in Ichiban Kasuga,it didn’t stop Kiryu from making an appearance inLike A Dragon’s main story. Now, with today’s announcement ofLike a Dragon 8, which is set for release in 2024, it’s been revealed that Kiryu will be returning to co-headline the next mainline entry with Ichiban.
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While many fans are excited by this reveal, there is an understandable crowd that is confused by Sega’s decision to bring the character back as a main protagonist following the finale ofYakuza 6. Thankfully, Sega has come more than prepared, announcingLike a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, a new spin-off game set between the events ofYakuza 6andLike a Dragon, that will also lead directly intoLike a Dragon 8. Better yet, the game is planned as a cross-generational release in 2023,along with the already revealedLike a Dragon: Ishinremake.
Sega has describedLike a Dragon Gaidenas a game made for fans who have been with the series since the beginning, and it has confirmed that the game willutilize the action-brawling combat of past entries predatingYakuza: Like a Dragon.
Sega has also confirmed that this will be a shorter entry in the series, claiming that it will be around half the size of a regularYakuzagame,similar to Ubisoft’s upcomingAssassin’s Creed: Mirage. It has claimed however that the game will be more substantial than this year’sLost Judgment: The Kaito FilesDLC, which took roughly 7-10 hours to beat, meaning this will still be a sizableYakuzaentry.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Namewill release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.
