Having first been rumoured back in August, it’s now been confirmed: Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi is leaving both Sega and his own Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Also joining him out the door is long-time series director and producer Daisuke Sato.
The Yakuza Devs Should Cast These Celebs In Their Next Hostess Club Minigame
Share SubtitlesOffEnglishShare this VideoFacebookTwitterEmailRedditLinkview videoThe Yakuza Devs Should Cast These Celebs In Their Next Hostess Club Minigame
The pair both posted messages on the studio’s official site announcing their departure. Nagoshi’s says:
While Saito’s reads:
In some clear and obvious ways, this is a blow both for the studio and the future of the series. Yakuza is Nagoshi and Nagoshi is Yakuza, and while he had stepped back from frontline development of the series in recent years, the games simply wouldn’t be here without him.
Saito, meanwhile, has also played a huge part in the development of the series, serving as director on Yakuza 3 and as a producer on everything from Yakuza Kiwami to Judgment.
Yet the studio, wisely, prefaced both departure announcements with a long post by Ryu Ga Gotoku’s new director Masayoshi Yokoyama, who explains: