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Yakuza 8 is now Like a Dragon 8 and it’s getting a Kiryu spinoff prequel

George Yang
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Ryu Ga Gotoku and Sega have revealed that Yakuza 8, now officially titled Like a Dragon 8, will launch in early 2024 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It’ll feature the return of Kazuma Kiryu, whose appearance will be explained in a new spinoff title: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

The game will star both Yakuza: Like a Dragon protagonist Ichiban Kasuga and series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. This time around Kiryu sports a new, gray hairstyle. According to RGG, this will be the largest game in the series to date. It will feature turn-based RPG combat again and it seems like Kiryu will have his own party to romp around with.

Like a Dragon 8 | Announcement Trailer

RGG also announced a spinoff game, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S as well. This will launch in 2023 and show events following Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and leading up to Like a Dragon 8. RGG says that it will be roughly half as long as a typical game in the series and will features a more “classic” Yakuza experience which most likely means it’ll be an action-adventure brawler.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name | Announcement Trailer

Following yesterday’s announcement of Like A Dragon: Ishin! during the September State of Play presentation, RGG announced a February release window for the game. Now, the studio confirmed that it will launch on February 21, 2023.

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It also seems like Sega is dropping the “Yakuza” moniker from the franchise going forward and going with “Like a Dragon.” The latter name is a more accurate translation of the franchise’s Japanese name, as series creator, Toshiro Nagoshi felt that dragons provoke the feelings of strength the series is known for.

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George Yang
George Yang
George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…
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