The creator of Yakuza remains committed to single-player console games, despite the partnership with NetEase

Yakuza fans are likely already aware that the creator of the series, Toshihiro Nagoshi, left Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios in 2021, leaving the franchise behind to establish Nagoshi Studio and work on a completely new title supported by NetEase. We know very little about Nagoshi's upcoming title, but some feared that it might not be a full-fledged console release since the majority of NetEase's portfolio consists of mobile games and MMOs.

However, it seems that we had no reason to worry because in a new interview with VGC, Nagoshi has practically confirmed that his next game will be a console title. He stated that he will not disappoint his fans who expect something similar to the unique blend of drama, humor, and violence that he established with the Yakuza series.

"Obviously, I will not disappoint my fans in that sense - I will create something with my personality and make a dramatic game, something along those lines - and my taste and personality will be reflected in the game," says Nagoshi. "I can't tell you exactly what genre it will be or how the game will be, but I will not disappoint my fans."

In fact, Nagoshi believes that NetEase is intentionally collaborating with his studio to gain more experience in console development. He describes the relationship between the publisher and Nagoshi Studios as "two-way traffic." Nagoshi explains that NetEase wants to expand into other areas and that developing for consoles will contribute to realizing its global ambitions.

The general environment means that it is difficult to try new things in Japan, but NetEase is very ambitious and wants to expand its business through global success, including the category of console games, which aligns with our ambition.

When we started our conversations, we aligned our goals and the intended target we wanted to work towards. Right from the beginning, we were pretty much on the same page, and later, when we actually had meetings together, we simply made sure that we were heading towards the previously established goal.

Nagoshi is still quite tight-lipped about how his new game will actually look, but it's reassuring to know that we will still see the unique blend of drama and comedy that made the Yakuza series so special. It's also nice to know that NetEase seems to be quite supportive of Nagoshi Studios' vision, so hopefully Nagoshi's new project will be just as successful as Yakuza and his career at NetEase will have a flying start.