Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s latest game has only been out for a few months, but already the Japanese studio says that their next game will surprise us.

At the Anime Expo, there was an event called Essence of Fandom, where Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio was present. The SEGA team is important to the Japanese publisher because the franchise formerly known as Yakuza has become important to the company, as the games are no longer just popular in Japan, but have also been well received in the West. Until now, the Yakuza titles have been niche games that were released in the West (mostly because there were a few exceptions; and often with significant delays, with a lot of cut-out content that would have been difficult to localize because of the cultural references), but not mainstream episodes…

Several fans who attended the event said that the studio was cryptically hinting at the future. They can’t tell us what game it is, but they can tell us that we’re in for a surprise, and it’s not another franchise we’re thinking of, but Like a Dragon, whose latest installment, Like a Dragon (8): Infinite Wealth, was released earlier this year for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

"We can't tell you what kind of game it is but I will tell you .. you will be surprised."

WHAT IS RGG COOKING.

— Yakuza Guy@AX (@TheYakuzaGuy) July 7, 2024

Not only has the franchise changed its name, but the genre has also changed significantly. The first six (seven if you count 0) Yakuza were melee-focused action-RPGs, but by the time Yakuza (7): Like a Dragon came out, it was a turn-based RPG, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth followed in the same style (Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, released last November for PC alongside the current and previous console pairings, used the old style).

We’re curious to see what Ryu Ga Ga Gotoku Studio comes up with in the end. So Like a Dragon 9 could be another twist on the gameplay and story, because they probably won’t say anything like that about a spin-off…

Source: VGC