It perhaps comes as no surprise if you're familiar with the Yakuza / Like a Dragon franchise, but RGG Studio really does do things game-by-game.
And by that, we mean that there tends to be very little forward planning in terms of the series' direction or storytelling.
"Even now that it’s a series, I still create each instalment thinking that it could be the final chapter," admits executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama, in a recent interview with Famitsu (as translated by Automaton).
And to be fair, you do get that impression from most, if not all of the games. While there are recurring characters and overarching narratives throughout the series, each title tells its own contained tale — and each of those tales usually ends with one hell of a bang.
Subscribe to Push Square on YouTube167k
Yokoyama continues: "As an example, I haven’t thought about what happens to [Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth protagonist] Ichiban Kasuga in the future yet."
Famously (or maybe infamously, if you don't happen to be a fan of it), Yakuza: Like a Dragon's pivot to turn-based combat started out as an April Fools' joke, but very quickly became the driving force behind the game.
Another example of RGG just going with the flow, you could argue.
This applies to characters as well, apparently. Yokoyama says the team never sets out to create a character with popularity in mind — but popularity can shape that character's future in later games, like it has done with the now iconic Goro Majima.
How do you feel about RGG's approach to each new game? Wonder what the future holds for dear Ichiban in the comments section below.