the series’ recent popularity with fans in other countries. “The biggest change is how smoothly we can localise things. This is because there are now more overseas players than there are in Japan.”
THE SONG OF LIFE When Ishin! Kiwami was announced on a livestream in 2022, it was a part of the reveal that three Like a Dragon game titles in development at once. How the team at RGG Studio
balances that workload comes down to work with external contractors, and systems that have been put in place as the franchise has grown since 2005.
“Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a full remake title so I think it were just really glad to see that everyone was excited about this,” Sakamoto ponders. “I think for overseas players. I’m interested to see how people both in Japan and overseas will react to the game.”
When asked about whether he has any advice or guidance for aspiring game developers over here in the UK, the astute series producer and director makes it clear that he thinks that it’s important not to “I think it’s important to not get caught up in stereotypes and keep an open mind as game development is forever changing.” explains Sakamoto. “I think
“We of course use external contractors but the main part of it is produced internally.” says Sakamoto. “In terms of workload balance, we were able to create the structure to do this after many years of optimisation.” An Ishin! remake being announced was an easy win for the studio with Like a Dragon’s fans, as it had been in high demand ever since the original version skipped the international release all those years ago. It turns out that the feeling was mutual. “We were just happy that we were able to announce this game since we had been receiving a lot of requests from Western fans.” enthuses the longtime series developer. something more contemporary and new, like Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, or Like a Dragon 8, but excitement is excitement.
that no matter the country, we should simply think about continuing to entertain people.”
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