Prepare for a swashbuckling adventure! The upcoming Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii promises a significantly larger and more ambitious experience than its predecessor, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Details revealed at RGG SUMMIT 2024 paint a picture of a truly expansive game.
Majima's Pirate Adventure Sets Sail in 2025
A Grander Scale for the Yakuza Series
RGG Studio's president, Masayoshi Yokoyama, confirmed that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's story and world will be approximately 1.3 to 1.5 times larger than Like a Dragon Gaiden. This isn't a simple expansion; it's a game of a completely different magnitude.
Yokoyama hinted at the game's vastness in an interview with Famitsu: "We don’t even know the exact area of the city itself," he teased. "Of course there’s Honolulu City, which appeared in [Infinite Wealth], and there are various stages, such as Madlantis, so I think the game volume is much larger than [Like a Dragon Gaiden]."
This expanded scale extends beyond the game world. Expect a wealth of content, from the signature brawling combat to a plethora of quirky side activities and mini-games. Yokoyama suggested the traditional "Gaiden" label as a smaller side story is evolving, stating that the distinction is "gradually disappearing." This suggests a main-series level experience.
The Hawaiian setting offers a refreshing change of pace. Goro Majima, voiced again by Hidenari Ugaki, takes center stage in this unexpected pirate adventure. While the details of Majima's transformation remain shrouded in mystery, Ugaki expressed his excitement, though he's been sworn to secrecy.
"The information about the game has finally been announced, but there are many other elements and there is still a lot of information I want to tell you," Ugaki commented. "I have a tendency to talk a lot about various things, but I’ve been told not to say anything, so I’m not completely satisfied yet."
Intriguing hints have also been dropped about the game's production. Voice actor First Summer Uika (Noah Ritchie) teased a live-action scene featuring Ryuji Akiyama (Masaru Fujita), who described a memorable recording experience involving an aquarium and "a lot of beautiful women." This may relate to the "Minato Ward girls," who will appear in both live-action and CG form, following auditions held earlier this year. Ryosuke Horii noted the enthusiasm of the audition participants, many of whom were passionate fans of the series.
For more on the auditions, see our related article!
