Of course, we should not overlook everything the studio behind the game has to deal with at the moment.
An image shown during Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s latest livestream has sparked speculation that development on Yakuza Kiwami 4 may already be underway. The Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Kiwami cycle, named after a Japanese word often translated as extreme, began with Yakuza Kiwami, which launched worldwide in 2017.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 was announced last September and released this February alongside a new companion story, Dark Ties. That story starred Mine Yoshitaka, the antagonist of Yakuza 3. The remake takes place on a new timeline and makes several major changes to the narrative, especially in the finale.
As a result, Yakuza Kiwami 3 ends on a very different note from the original game. Some fans have therefore suggested that a possible Yakuza 4 remake would need more time to align the older story with this new continuity.
The current speculation centers on a Daigo Dojima merchandise item revealed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio during its Like a Dragon livestream on June 25. The image, visible at around the 36:55 mark, appears to depict a well-known scene from Yakuza 4 in much greater detail than the PS3 could have rendered in 2010.
The Dragon Engine-level visuals and Daigo’s appearance have triggered intense discussion among fans. Many are wondering whether the image could be an accidental early look at an unannounced remake.
However, it is also possible that this is not a screenshot from an unannounced Yakuza Kiwami 4 at all. It may instead be a promotional render assembled from an existing game. Daigo, now in his mid-thirties, already appears in the Dragon Engine through his Poundmate summon in Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
While it may not be the most likely explanation, it is not impossible that Yakuza Kiwami 4 really exists and leaked early. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has previously leaked one of its own projects by accident. Last September, fans spotted a reference to Kiwami 3 on the studio’s website before Sega officially announced the game a week later during RGG Summit 2025.
The timing remains the biggest question. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is currently working on Stranger Than Heaven, which releases on January 15, and Virtua Fighter Crossroads is also expected next year, with the same team leading development. The studio can run multiple projects in parallel, but its roughly 300 employees rotate between games and franchises, placing significant pressure on the team.
A Kiwami-style Yakuza 4 remake may be less demanding than a completely new AAA project, but adapting the story after the changes made by Kiwami 3 would still require careful writing, production, and quality-assurance work. That is why the timeline remains difficult to ignore.
Source: GameRant
