There are suspicious, ominous signs suggesting that this recently announced project may end up going nowhere at all…

Gang Of Dragon, the new project from Yakuza/Like A Dragon creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, may be in serious danger of cancellation. As users noticed on Reddit, the official YouTube channel and the trailers tied to the game have been removed. The game is still live on Steam, however, and that remains the last visible sign that development could still be continuing. Gang Of Dragon was unveiled only a few months ago at The Game Awards, but in truth the project already looked troubled back then. After leaving SEGA in 2021, Nagoshi founded a new studio the following year with support from NetEase.

Then, in early 2025, rumors began circulating that NetEase had decided to cut funding for a number of projects, including Nagoshi’s. After the game was announced, it became clear that Nagoshi Studio would self-publish the title. At the same time, it was obvious they still needed financing to actually finish it. The disappearance of the YouTube channel and the official trailers strongly suggests that effort may not have succeeded, although nothing can be stated with certainty until an official announcement is made.

Nagoshi Studio has deleted their Youtube channel and all trailers of ‘Gang of Dragon’
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The story of Gang Of Dragon is set in Kabukicho, the iconic nightlife and entertainment district in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward, a setting that will immediately feel familiar to fans of Yakuza. The protagonist is Shin Ji-seong, a high-ranking member of a Korean crime syndicate operating in Japan, played by noted Korean-American actor Ma Dong-seok. Shin gets dragged into a web of underworld conflict, betrayal, and power struggles while also confronting his own goals through a series of intense human relationships. Choosing a Korean lead inside a Japanese criminal underworld setting marks a deliberate break from Nagoshi’s earlier work, where the protagonists had always been Japanese.

The action-adventure game uses a third-person perspective and focuses primarily on intense, high-stakes close-quarters combat that emphasizes Shin’s overwhelming physical power. Its arsenal ranges from melee weapons and swords to firearms and even portable miniguns. Vehicles are also expected to play a major role, with car chases and driving systems positioned as core parts of the experience.

Hopefully Nagoshi gives Kickstarter or Indiegogo a shot. It would be a waste to see this game end up with the same fate as Sleeping Dogs 2.

Source: WCCFTech