Like a Dragon: Making the Same Mistakes as Yakuza? A Pirate-Themed Predicament!
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and the Problem of Accessibility
The Like a Dragon series (that spin-off from the Yakuza franchise) is already a sprawling mess! Seven mainline Yakuza games, a bunch of spin-offs, two Like a Dragon mainline titles, and now a totally bizarre spin-off: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Then there's the Judgment series—also from the same devs, same universe, but totally separate! It's a mind-boggling situation!
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii shocked everyone; mostly because it was entirely unexpected and the choice of the pirate theme was surprisingly out of left field. Longtime Like a Dragon fans? Thrilled! Newcomers? Totally lost, adding to the already existing frustration in those who already had issues getting into this wildly popular franchise. And this is a problem because Like a Dragon is making the same mistakes as Yakuza!
Yakuza's Onboarding Issues: A Multiverse-Level Mess
The original Yakuza series—seven games (one with a zero!), became super difficult for newcomers to actually begin enjoying; this was only due to the amount of games which makes simply finding the “correct starting point” in this very vast and extremely prolific universe impossible for newcomers. While it wasn’t completely necessary to start from the very beginning— playing just those “main” titles takes hundreds of hours! This clearly impacted those wishing to participate in this extremely large franchise and those seeking to discover what makes this franchise so amazing.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon was a massive improvement–a soft reboot which completely redesigned everything, setting the perfect stage to begin this franchise, for anyone wishing to enter that amazingly creative universe! A whole new cast and style made it far more approachable, making it exceptionally popular for all players – yet, it completely dropped the ball later! The sequels Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth require almost total knowledge of those Yakuza games to be fully enjoyed, ruining any chances of the new fanbase expanding significantly.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii: Another Barrier to Entry
The incredibly oddly titled Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii? It makes things even WORSE! It's another entry that requires existing Yakuza knowledge, because the narrative is not only continued from the main storyline but brings back popular characters from the original Yakuza games like Goro Majima. It doesn’t help either that they use the same setting from the previous Like a Dragon title! Getting this particular game really only works if you also enjoy prior versions. For this game to truly make sense, newcomers absolutely must play Yakuza 0 at the very least to understand those central relationships. This is what creates frustration for those unable to get into those initial games. Yet it remains entirely unneccesary because the initial release demonstrates clearly what a successful game could have.
Why Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Strategy Might Not Be Working
The bizarre pirate setting could attract many other gamers; yet its primary issues make this almost an entirely unimportant factor. It's tied way too heavily into those earlier games, shutting out anyone who hasn't played those previous titles! Yakuza always had a difficult time getting in new players because of how complex and immense it was; and that massive amount of legacy content already makes it very hard to even start! And it is especially frustrating because the approach works, given the highly praised success of those previous attempts that are highlighted further below! It's essentially going backwards!
If Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio wants more fans (and they should— that Yakuza TV series indicates their attempt to attract a completely new fanbase), creating wholly new series is necessary—it worked for Judgment! Those series proved high-quality content without those unnecessary references to the core storyline.
Does Like a Dragon Even NEED New Fans? The Complicated Answer
Should Like a Dragon even worry about new players? The series performs very well financially, generating an overall consistent positive reception in all financial analyses that have looked into it. The approval rating for Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, that surprising pirate spin-off demonstrates those consistent strong points in that creative pipeline; this game demonstrates those abilities that made it very successful. Yet even this extreme financial success does not dismiss those new gamers.
A lot of people desperately want to start enjoying the Yakuza games! But who wants to invest an unreasonable time requirement? Creating more series similar to Judgment makes for a much easier solution. A complete reboot’s not needed! Using those spin-offs opens new paths to draw those newcomers in—who then might try the original series! And that is something entirely sensible! There’s that existing solution available already and it is perfectly clear to see its benefits. There is plenty of opportunity and great things remain.
Conclusion: A Missed Opportunity and a Needed Shift in Approach
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii could’ve brought in those new fans, if it launched a fresh lead character, avoiding those problematic returning characters like Goro Majima! Majima’s popularity rests largely in those early Yakuza games—and his appearance further restricts any possibility for these newcomers to enjoy. That existing fanbase certainly isn't insignificant. They like these well-known characters; creating an existing audience makes marketing relatively simple and often results in higher audience numbers; generating far higher returns. It is often better than the relatively slow returns involved with a completely new launch! It just means it isn’t always necessary!
Those newcomers wanting Yakuza need an easy route. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio needs to continue to build out Judgment —and completely avoid any unnecessary Yakuza or Like a Dragon references, as that makes more opportunities for expanding their entire franchise’s potential beyond its already incredibly impressive heights!
