Sega has announced a RGG Summit Event that will take place ahead of Tokyo Game Show next week. The showcase is expected to reveal Yakuza 8, the long-anticipated follow up to 2020's Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which rebooted the series with a new cast of characters and new JRPG-inspired combat mechanics. The game was also the series' debut on next-gen consoles, launching as a timed next-gen exclusive on Xbox Series X/S in November 2020 before arriving on PlayStation 5 in March 2021.
With shake-ups at Sega's Ryu Ga Gotoku studios, including the departure of Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, it seems that 2022 will be the first year without a new Yakuza game or spin-off in the west for over five years, and the first year without a new entry in Japan since 2019. Given the internal shifts and departures, it makes sense that the newly reorganized team at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios is handling the next entry with extreme care, especially given the series' recent popularity in the west. That said, it appears the wait for Yakuza 8's official reveal is nearing its end.
Despite originally teasing a reveal at today's Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio TV live stream, Sega has now announced RGG Summit 2022: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio New Title Presentation, a showcase that will be held on Wednesday, September 14, 2022. As the title for the event suggests, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio will be presenting its newest title at the event, taking place just one day before Tokyo Game Show 2022 kicks off, where Sega will be present at with one of the biggest booths on the show floor. No further details were revealed other than it will stream at 19:00pm JST.
Earlier this year, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios revealed that it is currently working 'many' titles, including the next mainline Yakuza game and a new IP, and even teased titles set outside the established Yakuza and Judgment worlds, perhaps like Binary Domain. Back in July, the studio revealed the first images from the sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragonwhich featured Ichiban sporting a new hairstyle, and revealed that the game will be set a few years after the events of Like a Dragon.
Despite being a no-show at today's live stream, it's exciting to know that Yakuza 8 may be getting its own showcase just in time for Tokyo Game Show, meaning that Sega and RGG Studios are likely preparing to go all out for the title. This also means the game could just be around the corner, as past TGS showings for Yakuza games have been held only 3-4 months ahead of their Japanese releases. Given that Sega has shifted to a worldwide release structure for Yakuza and Atlus games, this could mean that the worldwide release of Yakuza 8 might be sooner than fans expect.
Yakuza 8 is currently in development.