How accessibility helped the Yakuza franchise explode in the West

When I first entered the business of being a game journalist, the Yakuza 4 was right around the corner on the PlayStation 3. The game sparked my love for the franchise I champion to this day, but it took several more years for the Ryu ga Gotoku (Yakuza) series to erupt into the mainstream.

What has changed? What allowed the series, now known as Like a Dragon in the West, to become such a mainstream success? Much of it can be credited to the franchise's popularity, and Masayoshi Yokoyama of RGG Studio agrees.

After all, video games these days are incredibly expensive. It’s hard to invest in a series you’ve never played, especially when there are eight mainline entries to the said franchise. It’s incredibly daunting, and when you tack the cost of games on top of it, many gamers would prefer what's immediately before them.

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Accessibility is one of the most important facets of a franchise like Yakuza

Again, I started with the fourth game in the Like a Dragon series, and though I loved it, it certainly took a lot for me to come back and try the earlier games. Why? Accessibility. Picking up a PS2 and finding the first couple of games can be incredibly expensive.

Accessibility strikes hard here. Yakuza Kiwami, Kiwami 2, and the 3, 4, and 5 ports have all shown up on modern consoles. Eventually, these would find their way to subscription services like PS+ and in particular, Xbox’s Game Pass.

Eight games are available on Game Pass for the Like a Dragon franchise, and players can play anytime they want, provided they have a subscription. Suddenly, it’s incredibly easy to try the series! There’s no major monetary commitment, and if you like them, you can buy them permanently.

Masayoshi Yokoyama, Director of RGG Studio, recently spoke to Twinfinite and had something similar to say:

“Personally, I do think subscriptions like Game Pass, allowing people to play the previous games over the years, have contributed largely to the increase in audience.”

Now that gamers can try the series without any stress about how expensive it could be to play all the games, that went a long way. But it’s not the only thing that helps with the accessibility of the Yakuza franchise.

Yakuza 0, which is often priced incredibly low in the West, is a prequel to the series' first game. It allowed players to control not only series protagonist Kiryu Kazuma but Goro Majima, his rival, friend, and occasional antagonist. It’s one of the two best starting points in the series.

It shows how the two iconic characters got their start, featuring incredible storytelling and truly remarkable antagonists.

An inexpensive, visually appealing game with tons of content, but is it one of the perfect starting points for any fan? Yakuza 0 delivers. From there, you can go to Kiwami as well, which was a full remake of the first game for the PS2.

What is the other major access point for this series, though? Like a Dragon 7, starring Ichiban Kasuga. With seven+ games starring Kiryu Kazuma, it can feel overwhelming. Ichiban Kasuga’s first game is fairly recent, and it’s also a turn-based RPG.

It feels like a meeting point between Dragon Quest and Persona, and it’s just as good as any other game in the series. For newcomers, I often recommend 0 or 7 for these reasons. That way, fans don’t think they have to play thousands of hours of games. You can easily pick up 7 with no franchise knowledge and go back and play the other games if you want.

Combine those two starting points with being able to play them for free on subscription services? It’s never been easier to become a fan of RGG Studio games. The wide availability of Yakuza games in the West has definitely made it easier.

Fan demand has ultimately led to some truly incredible games coming to the franchise. Gamers in the West are finally going to receive Like a Dragon: Ishin! in the form of a full remake. Two more Like a Dragon games are coming, a side-story for Kiryu and another starring Ichiban Kasuga. It’s a wonderful time to be a Yakuza fan, and it’s never been easier to try the franchise!