Yakuza games will remain turn-based RPGs thanks to the success of Like a Dragon and Judgment
Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa revealed the genre future of Yakuza in an interview with IGN on the occasion of the official announcement of Lost Judgment.
Recall that since the first part of the game, the Yakuza series have been purebred action games, but with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the developers decided to go a fundamentally different path and changed the genre to a turn-based RPG.
Until recently, the developers could not decide how to move the series further – to leave on the role-playing field, return to real-time fights, or create a hybrid of the two systems.
The detective offshoot of Judgment, with the announcement of a sequel, turned into a series, and the success of Yakuza: Like a Dragon prompted Ryu ga Gotoku Studio to answer: “Yakuza” will remain side by side with the tactical RPG genre for the foreseeable future.
“On the other hand, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has amassed the resources and expertise to create catchy and addictive action games over the years. We decided to let our iconic action gameplay live in Lost Judgment, ”the developers said.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon debuted in the West in November 2020 on PC (Steam, Microsoft Store), PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and S, and made it to PS5 in March 2021. The next game in the series is already in development.
As for Lost Judgment, the direct sequel to the original Judgment will go on sale on September 24 this year for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and S. Unlike the first part, the second is scheduled to release simultaneously around the world.
