When We Made... Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s chief producer
Hiroyuki Sakamoto talks to frequent Kamurocho visitor Vince Pavey about the remake of Like a Dragon: Ishin!, while the pair avoid the swords of the notorious Shinsengumi
This interviewee’s responses have been translated from Japanese, and have occasionally been rearranged or edited for clarity
L
Hiroyuki Sakamoto, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s chief producer
on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 back in 2014, and we didn’t get it. Outside of Japan, the series (then known as Yakuza, before its global rebrand to Like place, often trailing behind on localisation of game releases and underperforming in sales numbers and it was skipped. It was believed that the game that had well known series’ cast like a theatre troupe probably just wouldn’t sell, and overseas fans that weren’t importing the games from Japan were left wondering if they’d ever get to play it. That all changed with the release of Yakuza
0, a prequel title that not only gave newcomers a jumping on point into the world of the series’ beloved characters and created lifelong fans, but propelled the series to never before seen heights in the worldwide market. Now the Like a Dragon games sell better than they
52 | MCV/DEVELOP March 2023
ever have, and new releases arrive promptly outside of Japan and to much fanfare. Gone are the days when there’d be any doubt over now everybody gets to be a samurai. But how did the idea of historical video games using the Like a Dragon characters as actors even come samurai just seemed like the most interesting subject at the time.” explains RGG’s chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto, who has been with SEGA since the year 2000, and directed the original Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! back on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. “After Yakuza 0, we found out that if localised correctly, overseas players can also enjoy a drama about the underground society in Japan. Also, as this is made by Japanese people, we can create something that is unique to overseas players. We plan to keep that stance from here on as well.”
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