Yakuza 8 now apparently titled Like a Dragon 8, will be released in 2024 and unexpectedly will feature the return of the hero of the original saga, Kazuma Kiryu.
announced during the relay from developer RGG Studio, the game will also see the return of the Yakuza characters: Like a Dragon, Ichiban Kasuga, Koichi Adachi and Yu Nanba. We’ve seen a teaser trailer showing Kasuga and Kiryu (who sports a new gray haircut) strolling through the fictional Kamurocho.
Here you can see the presentation trailer:
On stage, the game’s producer and two voice actors appeared to talk about the game, commenting that this will be the story of both characters, who will lead a group. It seems that it is an RPG again, in the vein of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The team has also said that it will be “the biggest game to date” for the franchise.
As to the reason why Kiryu returns, the team said that the theme of the game is about “the man with the whole weight of the past on his back, and the man with the whole weight of the future on his back”. We will have an explanation about Kiryu’s return in the also announced spin-off, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which will arrive in 2023.
This will be the first Yakuza game made without series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi leaving the studio to create his own with NetEase.
