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[ArtHands]

The Like a Dragon series producers talk about the “Don’t change anything” policy they upkeep and fandom behavior that has surprised them - AUTOMATON WEST

An interview with the creators of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Masayoshi Yokoyama and Hiroyuki Sakamoto talk influences and fandom behavior.

automaton-media.com

──I’ve heard that the Like a Dragon series really took off globally with the release of Yakuza 6. When was the moment you realized the series’ potential overseas?

Yokoyama:

Wasn’t it Yakuza 0?

Sakamoto:

Yes, when Yakuza 0 released on Steam, the sales really exceeded our expectations. We could see the potential in numbers.

──Have you noticed any characteristics of Steam users?

Sakamoto:

On Steam, there’s actually not so many players who play a game on its release day. However, when they do play it, Steam players take the time out of their day to launch their PCs and play the game thoroughly. I have the impression that, for PC players, whether it’s an indie game or an AAA game, as long as it’s fun, they will invest their time in it. I think that this is part of why a strange Japanese game about yakuzas managed to take off. The overseas users who hadn’t know of the Like a Dragon series got an opportunity to install it and try it out, and found it fun. This is what we make of it.

 

[Labadal]

I'm not shocked. When I hear others talk about the Yakuza series, the one game that is first mentioned is Yakuza 0.

 

[Garibaldi]

Yakuza 0 was wonderful. I'd bounced off the series back with the first game on the PS2, never really bothered when it transitioned to the PS3 with Yakuza 3. After I played Zero tho...one of my most cherished series (although I still think Yakuza 1 is the weakest game, even the remake is questionable with it's combat)

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

I've played 3, 4, 5, 6 and Like a Dragon but never 0.

To avoid series fatigue I probably won't play 0-2 (I've seen key story stuff anyway) and will just stick to new entries.

 

[Denton]

I wish Yakuza series had proper voice acting instead of that weird half-step where some cutscenes are voiced, some are unvoiced and some are just weird character models making weird sounds at each other

just destroys my immersion

 

[killatopak]

It's the memes.

I mean I posted as well but the memes actually got me to go back to Yakuza after skipping out on 4 and the rest. It also made my family interested enough to play it because of my incessant playing of Baka Mitai.

 

[Zekra Dezivad]

I think it's more thanks to Yakuza 0 being an easy starting point to the series for new gamers

 

[NanaMiku]

Definitely because of this

 

[Slothbeing1209]

Make sense. Yakuza 0 is the best game of the series.

 

[Holammer]

I think something similar happened with Persona. They finally got around to do a surprise release of Persona 4 Golden on Steam and it sold something in the 2M+ region. Back when the series had 10.2M in total. It changed everything.

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Best yakuza hands down.
Also :

 

[gundalf]

I've played 3, 4, 5, 6 and Like a Dragon but never 0.

To avoid series fatigue I probably won't play 0-2 (I've seen key story stuff anyway) and will just stick to new entries.

I would definitely play Zero next. I understand the sentiment but each new release is more polished which ages Zero little by little. So better to play Zero now while it still feels modern.

 

[PanzerCute]

Yakuza 0 is absolutely god tier.

 

[Deft Beck]

I wish Yakuza series had proper voice acting instead of that weird half-step where some cutscenes are voiced, some are unvoiced and some are just weird character models making weird sounds at each other

just destroys my immersion

They do this because often these games have a content pipeline where everything is produced out of order of the actual player experience. Content is added, shifted around, cut and put back into the game. They need flexibility in order to ensure everything will come together in the end. It's similar to how big-budget movies are filmed out of scene order so that they can schedule actors and staff appropriately.

 

[MasterDerico]

All that confidence, and no retail version of Gaiden ? Why ?
As a huge fan of RGG games, i will import this one...

 

[Denton]

They do this because often these games have a content pipeline where everything is produced out of order of the actual player experience. Content is added, shifted around, cut and put back into the game. They need flexibility in order to ensure everything will come together in the end. It's similar to how big-budget movies are filmed out of scene order so that they can schedule actors and staff appropriately.

They should fix their content pipeline then. If bigger games made by much smaller companies on much more limited budgets (like e.g. Witcher 1 or Kingdom Come) can have full voice acting, then so should Yakuzas - especially now when they fully intentionally target worldwide audience.

(of course, yakuza fanboys will likely make excuses for it and claim it is unnecessary or whatever)

 

[Bridges]

I've played 3, 4, 5, 6 and Like a Dragon but never 0.

To avoid series fatigue I probably won't play 0-2 (I've seen key story stuff anyway) and will just stick to new entries.

Woah

0 and 2 are top entries alongside 6, definitely worth being played.

1 is probably the worst one but really important for story purposes. I understand not wanting to get fatigued but I can't imagine playing the series without those three

 

[Spyxos]

My first Yakuza was Part 3 and i didn't like it at all. Then one day i decided to play Yakuza 0 and fell in love.

 

[kiphalfton]

Woah

0 and 2 are top entries alongside 6, definitely worth being played.

1 is probably the worst one but really important for story purposes. I understand not wanting to get fatigued but I can't imagine playing the series without those three

I got fatigue after one game (Kiwami). So I can only imagine playing all 7.

I don't doubt they're good games based off just playing Kiwami, but they're also fairly long if you do side stuff.

 

[YCoCg]

I've played 3, 4, 5, 6 and Like a Dragon but never 0.

To avoid series fatigue I probably won't play 0-2 (I've seen key story stuff anyway) and will just stick to new entries.

You pushed yourself 3 and 5 but never played 0??? 0 is the best, or at least one of the best in the series!

 

[StereoVsn]

Make sense. Yakuza 0 is the best game of the series.

Yeah, I have a soft spot for PS2 version of Yakuza 2 and then Yakuza 3 (Japanese or remastered version), but Yakuza 0 was so so good.

 

[Pelao]

I was always curious about this franchise and wanted to give it a try, but there came a point when there were so many games that it became a daunting task. As a total Edo period nerd, the recent release of Ishin on Gamepass was like a godsend. I am LOVING this game. I can't believe it took Sega so many years to bring it to the west. I guess I have the success of Yakuza 0 to thank for that. I still don't know if I'll play the main series, but I'm more than open to giving these kinds of spinoffs a chance. I wish they would port Kenzan to modern platforms.