Yakuza creator Nagoshi Shares Early Information About the New Studio’s First Game

Last year’s release of Yakuza 6 marked the end of a successful run for Sega, with over 10 million copies sold. While it was well-received by fans and critics alike, Nagoshi is eager to bring the series back in full force next year. There are new ideas brewing that he wants to test out while moving away from previous storylines.

The “toshihiro nagoshi” is the creator of the Yakuza series, and he has recently revealed information about his new studio’s first game.

The tale, according to Yakuza veterans, is more significant than the place. Toshihiro Nagoshi, one of the designers of Yakuza, spoke about the first game made by his new firm, Nagoshi Studio.

The designer made multiple allusions to the studio’s first project after Nagoshi and other Yakuza veterans departed Sega in an interview with IGN Japan. Nagoshi hinted that his new NetEase-backed firm will stick to the formula that made the Yazuka and Judgment games so popular.

“We’re inspired by movies, and we want to create games with high-quality, human drama,” Nagoshi said (as translated by IGN). “That’s what we like doing. We intend to make games in this spirit that can reach a worldwide audience, just as we did previously.”

“As a result, you won’t find any smartphone puzzle games from us.” Those games are entertaining, but we prefer to make games with dramatic and compelling tales, which is what the public expects from us. So that’s what we’re concentrating on.”

The studio’s debut game, according to Nagoshi, is still in the early phases of production.

“As a game designer, I’ve always had a list of things I’d want to accomplish one day,” he added, “and I have a particular notion of my own that I’d like to build on right now.” “Now, with the support of the team, the concept is slowly taking form.”

The ecology in Japan is essential, yet there are more pressing concerns.

Nagoshi’s games are known for their rich Japanese backgrounds, but the designer highlighted that the team has always prioritized the game’s quality and plot above the location.

“If you look at the Yakuza series’ sales, I believe the eastern location contributed to make the game seem more distinctive, but I don’t think that alone was enough to make it sell millions,” the creator adds.

“There has to be something more substantial, such as an emotional plot or a good mix of gaming and storytelling, and the overall quality needs to be great.” So I don’t believe geography is that necessary for our next game to be a worldwide smash.”

“If the drama is excellent, a Takeshi Kitano picture can affect people in France, and an Indian film can entertain us in Japan.” If the play is of excellent quality, it can be enjoyed by everyone, wherever. I’d want to go back to this pure kind of enjoyment.”

Lost Judgment was Nagoshi’s final game for Sega. Nagoshi Studio was formally revealed by the developer in January. The firm will be a “wholly owned subsidiary” of NetEase Games, focusing on “high-end games for international distribution” — particularly for consoles.

Nagoshi stated in a recent interview with Famitsu that the company has already begun production on its first game and that, like Yakuza and Judgment, it would remain Japanese-focused.

“We’re Japanese, and we’re a Japanese studio,” he continued, “so of course the market we know best is Japan.”

“We’ve worked hard to develop a process that enables us to produce something that is universally recognized while being focused on Japan. However, I don’t believe I’ve yet been able to provide a comprehensive response to that topic.

“I founded Nagoshi Studio in order to discover the solution, to pursue the goal.” However, Japan will continue to be the priority in the future.”

“It’ll be ready when it’s ready!” says the narrator.

NetEase will support Toshihiro Nagoshi’s studio. In an interview with Famitsu, Nagoshi also said that his company would release games only when they are ready, rather than rushing them out.

“I used to work at Nintendo, and I used to love and envy their approach of ‘we won’t release a game until we can declare it’s ready,’” he remarked.

“I respected and envied her mentality, and I wish to follow in her footsteps by not relinquishing aspirations but continuing until they are realized.”

You could believe that’s normal if you’ve never built a game before. But if a toymaker hears this, they could question to themselves, “Are you sure you can say that in this day and age?” – the Japanese developer chuckled.