Industry legend Toshihiro Nagoshi’s promising Yakuza spiritual successor Gang of Dragon may not see the light of day, as publisher NetEase plans to pull funding on the project.
The Chinese juggernaut had headhunted the SEGA veteran to start his own studio in 2021, but a slew of strategic changes mean it’s ceased bankrolling a bunch of AAA productions of late. Unfortunately, it looks like Nagoshi Studio is next.
Bloomberg reports that employees were notified of the decision on Friday, with the cheques scheduled to stop clearing in May. That may potentially give the team a little time to find a new publisher, although we suspect the writing is on the wall here.
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According to one source, the game will require a further ¥7 billion (~$44 million) to be completed, which contributed to NetEase’s decision to walk away.
Apparently the organisation is not opposed to the studio continuing to work on the project independently, although it will need to recompense the publisher for work already completed under its umbrella.
It’s a real shame to see such a promising PS5 project put in this position, because we really liked what we saw of Gang of Dragon when it was announced late last year at The Game Awards.
With noteworthy actor Don Lee in the lead role, this looked like a natural evolution of Yakuza, and a glimpse into the direction the series’ original creator envisioned for the franchise.
With a heavier emphasis on guns and even vehicles, this threatened to be a totally unique take on SEGA’s long-running crime caper. Now it may end up sleeping with the fishes.