December 8th marks the 19th anniversary of Like a Dragon, the franchise that first came to North America as Yakuza. In a special video released today, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio addressed the anniversary, while also laying the groundwork for 2025. Apparently, Sega and RGG Studio have big plans leading up to the 20th anniversary, starting out with the release of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Following that, fans can also look forward to new merchandise as well as content throughout the year. The best news is, it won’t just be released in Japan!

“And from today we will be holding various events and making announcements leading up to the 20th anniversary next year,” said Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama. “We’re also creating a global structure to deliver various types of merchandise and content to fans in Japan, Asia, and the West starting from next year.”

It’s still far too early to tell what will be announced next year, but many fans used the announcement as an excuse to ask for sequels to existing Like a Dragon games. One popular request was for a third entry in the Judgement spin-off series. It’s been over three years since the release of Lost Judgement, and there’s been no word on whether we might see a third game. Of course, fans have been waiting even longer for Yakuza Kiwami 3; the second game was released in 2017, and fans have been hoping for another one ever since. At this point, there’s no shortage of announcements that would make the fanbase happy!

Over the last 19 years, Like a Dragon has grown into one of Sega’s most important franchises. Alongside Sonic and Persona, the company considers Like a Dragon one of its “three pillars,” and its success has given Sega an opportunity to invest in dormant franchises like Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio. It’s obvious just how much the brand is valued by the publisher, and it will be interesting to see where things go in the future. Most fans probably wouldn’t have predicted a game like Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii would actually be a thing, so RGG Studio’s next announcement could be unlike anything fans are asking for.

For now, fans are just going to have to wait and see what next year will hold! A 20th anniversary is a very big deal, and it’s nice to see RGG Studio acknowledge that plans are underway. Hopefully there’s a lot to enjoy for those that have been with the series since the beginning, as well as those just starting to discover what Like a Dragon has to offer.

Posted: 3 hours, 17 minutes ago
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Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/yakuza-like-a-dragon-rgg-studio-sega-20th-anniversary-plans/