Key Takeaways
- Like a Dragon franchise will celebrate 20th anniversary.
- An upcoming main series follow-up to Infinite Wealth likely to be announced soon.
- Fans speculate potential game remakes and new game engine version for anticipated 2025 announcements.
The 20th anniversary of the Yakuza: Like a Dragon franchise is rapidly approaching, and the long-standing game series is gearing up accordingly. A new video from the lead of the team behind the Like a Dragon games has shared a bit of detail about how the studio will be celebrating the 20th anniversary.
Originating in 2005, the Like a Dragon series got its start on the PlayStation 2, launching in the west as simply Yakuza. While the series has enjoyed popularity in its home country of Japan since the get-go, the series had a rough run in the west early on, struggling to find its footing for many years. Yakuza 0, the game’s prequel, largely changed the fate of the series in English-speaking territories, serving as a new entry point for the Like a Dragon franchise and successfully impressing players with a captivating story, hilarious side quests, and years’ worth of games to catch up on.
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Now, Like a Dragon executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama has spoken as the game has officially reached its 19th anniversary. In a brief video, Yokoyama explained that the series will be celebrating the approaching 20th anniversary throughout the year, promising “various events” and announcements in anticipation. The studio is also amping up its efforts around merchandising and content, with a “global structure” being established to better provide for fans around the world.
What Can Like a Dragon Fans Expect for the 20th Anniversary?
In the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of the series, RGG will be releasing Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, with the title arriving in February. That game will put players back in the shoes of legendary ex-Yakuza Goro Majima as he enjoys an amnesiac rampage across Hawaii. However, RGG has remained largely silent regarding what games will launch after that.
While the future is unknown, there are some things fans are likely to see. A main series follow-up to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is likely to be announced in the coming year. If the 20th anniversary mirrors that of the 10th anniversary, players may also see announcements of game remakes. The 10th anniversary of the franchise led to Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami‘s release, with the latter being a remake of the first game, and Yakuza Kiwami 2, a remake of the second title, following not long after. As no games have received full remakes past that point, many would argue the PS3-launching Yakuza 3 is long overdue for an overhaul.
Outside of that, execs at RGG have discussed the possibility of a new version of the engine that the Like a Dragon games run off of, as the current engine originated during that 10th anniversary period. Whatever the future holds, it seems like a lot of exciting news will arrive in 2025 for fans of the long-running series.
Yakuza
Sega’s Yakuza franchise is a series of action-adventure and role-playing games that revolve around characters who are a part of or associated with dangerous criminal organizations.
The various games in the series tend to be led by gripping, emotional narratives but are supplemented by hilarious side stories and enjoyable mini-games that give players a welcome break from the drama.