In an era where sequels take years, Baldur's Gate 3 developer calls Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's quick turnaround "genius sh*t"

GamesJRPGYakuza Like A DragonLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in HawaiiIn an era where sequels take years, Baldur’s Gate 3 developer calls Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s quick turnaround “genius sh*t"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesJRPGYakuza Like A DragonLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in HawaiiIn an era where sequels take years, Baldur’s Gate 3 developer calls Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s quick turnaround “genius sh*t"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / Sega) Developer RGG Studio’s knack for pumping out great Yakuza games on an almost yearly basis is once again getting attention, especially in an era where big-budget sequels can take more than half a decade to make. Segaand RGG this week announced that the sixth Yakuza game in five years,Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, would be releasing next February. That means the swashbuckling action spin-off is coming out just a year after the last mainline entry, this year’s Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, proving that Yakuza fans, as always, stay well fed. Baldur’s Gate 3 publisher director Michael ‘Cromwelp’ Douse reacted to the news, calling it some “genius sh*t.” He points to how each game in the series iterates on the last, instead of throwing all the work away and building something new. “Fractal design,” he tweets. “Persistence where it matters, renewal where it makes sense. Economically solid, but also in terms of managing a community it’s huge. Sports games been doing it for years. Unsure as to why more don’t.” Call of Duty, Just Dance, and some sports games aside, the days of annual series are pretty much over. There were a good few years where we’d get a new Halo and Assassin’s Creed annually, but ballooning game budgets and gamer expectations that every new entry should be an ‘evolution’ have put a stop to that. Rather than rebooting everything from scratch after each game, RGG Studios is known for re-using assets, locations, minigames, and there are even some animations that haven’t changed in years. Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama recently talked about how other series - like GTA or Assassin’s Creed -practically “reinvent a large portion of the game” in between instalments, but Yakuza’s secret ingredient is how it iterates on what came before. Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, for example, is building off of the action combat the series was once known for and it’s re-using the main Hawaiian town that hosted the majority of Infinite Wealth’s events. Oh, it isadding a jump button for the first time in the series, though. That could be huge, genuinely… Well, mostly for the Yakuza minigame freaks among us. Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii leaked months ago, but it was so ridiculous no one believed it was real. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more CATEGORIESPC GamingXbox Series XPS5PlatformsXboxPlayStation CATEGORIES More about yakuza like a dragonLike A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii revives another Sega arcade classic that’s never been ported - a true Yakuza games traditionAs the Persona and Yakuza series fly beyond 20 million sales each, Sega says its JRPG successes are thanks to the power of multi-platform releasesLatestI didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tastySee more latest► More about yakuza like a dragonLike A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii revives another Sega arcade classic that’s never been ported - a true Yakuza games traditionAs the Persona and Yakuza series fly beyond 20 million sales each, Sega says its JRPG successes are thanks to the power of multi-platform releasesLatestI didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tastySee more latest► More about yakuza like a dragonLike A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii revives another Sega arcade classic that’s never been ported - a true Yakuza games traditionAs the Persona and Yakuza series fly beyond 20 million sales each, Sega says its JRPG successes are thanks to the power of multi-platform releases More about yakuza like a dragon Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii revives another Sega arcade classic that’s never been ported - a true Yakuza games traditionAs the Persona and Yakuza series fly beyond 20 million sales each, Sega says its JRPG successes are thanks to the power of multi-platform releases Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii revives another Sega arcade classic that’s never been ported - a true Yakuza games tradition Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii revives another Sega arcade classic that’s never been ported - a true Yakuza games tradition As the Persona and Yakuza 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part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”