Yakuza Creator Toshihiro Nagoshi Confirms Sega Exit Along With Announcement Of Sequel To Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi has confirmed that he will be leaving Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and SEGA. As part of the restructuring announcement, RGG Studio also confirmed that it is currently working on a sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

This news from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Nagoshi follows a report that says Chinese developer and publisher NetEase was in “final negotiations” with Nagoshi to hire him from SEGA, the company he’s been with since 1989.

Nagoshi, in a statement, did not reveal what his next move was, but did confirm that he was leaving SEGA and RGG Studio.

“Upon leaving SEGA, I will also be leaving my position as director of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio,” Nagoshi wrote. “Thank you to the fans who have supported us and the Yakuza series for many years. You have my sincerest and deepest thanks.

“I persisted and am here now thanks to what I learned from many people around me. It is to the credit of colleagues who supported me in such a way that I was able to hone my way of thinking to continually push the limits.

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“As of today, a new Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is born where the series will live. Although I am not sure what they will create, I believe that the new generation will further improve the foundation we have built over the years and deliver great games for the To do that, they too need to continue to learn, challenge themselves, and grow, and I ask that you continue to support study efforts.

“Once again, I would like to express my deepest thanks to all of you. Thank you so much for your support. Stay tuned for the many new beginnings!”

Nagoshi will walk out the doors of RGG Studio alongside Yakuza series producer Daisuke Sato, who was the head of the studio for nine years.

Moving forward, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s new director will be the series producer Masayoshi Yokoyama, and he talked about how the team will continue to move forward with what made the studio a success and at the same time open a new one. path. One of the first steps on that path, according to Yokoyama, is a sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon and the Ichiban Kasuga story.

“Ryu Ga Gotoku’s predecessors have passed on their beliefs and knowledge to each and every staff member,” Yokoyama wrote. “You can witness it in the recently released lost trial and you will see it in the upcoming sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which will continue the story of Ichiban Kasuga.

“This game is currently being developed by producer Sakamoto and directors Horii, Ito and Mitake. I myself, along with Takeuchi and Furuta, are working on the story.

“Whether it’s six months or a year from now, I hope to show you a new Ryu Ga Gotoku title from a new Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio that is different but remains the same, and something that will elicit a feeling of ‘this is what you are waiting for. ‘within you. I would like to continue my life as a video game creator seriously. “

Nagoshi joined SEGA in its early arcade days and worked on series like Virtua Racing, Monkey Ball, and more before founding Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and the Yakuza franchise.

For more information, check out our Lost Judgment review, how the studio has said they are charting a new future with Lost Judgment and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and our Yakuza: Like a Dragon review.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and in Twitch.