Nagoshi Studio Explains Its Post-Yakuza Plans: ‘You Won’t Find Us Making Smartphone Games’

Authored by ign.com and submitted by Aggressive_Sea_8206
image for Nagoshi Studio Explains Its Post-Yakuza Plans: ‘You Won’t Find Us Making Smartphone Games’

Toshihiro Nagoshi has explained how his first post-Sega, post-Yakuza company – Nagoshi Studio – will approach making games, and the goals for its debut project.

Speaking to IGN Japan, Nagoshi explained how he felt about leaving his extremely successful work at Sega behind for a new studio, backed by NetEase Games:

“Well, when the team and I decided to start a new studio, we knew we’d be leaving the content we had previously been working on behind. But I also have a strong mental attitude and a lot of ideas I would like to try, which could even surpass my previous work, so I was confident that leaving the old series behind will afford the chance to try new things.”

Toshihiro Nagoshi. (Image credit: Nagoshi Studio)

Nagoshi wouldn’t go into detail about his specific plot or gameplay ideas for a new project – which is still at least a few years away – but made clear that he and his team will be looking to replicate the global success of Yakuza, rather than scale back their expectations.

“We are influenced by movies and are interested in creating games that offer a high level of human drama,” Nagoshi explained. “That’s what we find fun. Just as before, I hope to create games in that vein that can reach a global audience. So you won’t find us making, like, smartphone puzzle games or whatever. Those games are fun, but what we’re good at and what the world expects from us is games with dramatic and moving stories, and that’s what we want to make. So that’s where our focus is.”

Asked if he already had an idea what that would mean for the first game, Nagoshi said, “Yes, as a game creator I have always had a number of things I’d like to do one day, and there is one idea in particular from my personal locker that I’d like to try to expand on now. Now the idea is slowly taking shape, with the input of the team.”

Nagoshi made clear that he wants to continue capturing human performances in digital characters, but didn’t go as far as saying he would be continuing the trend of using celebrity actors (like Judgment’s Takuya Kimura) in his games:

“When we started the Yakuza series, at that time it was common to design an original character and have them voiced by a voice actor, and anything beyond that was not considered important. We were able to break through that system, and in doing so we learned a lot. I don’t think we have perfected this approach yet, and I think we can achieve even more emotionally engaging performances, facial expressions and so on. So I do have the desire to keep improving on that. In the meantime, whether or not we decide to work with any particular actors, I think it’s important to keep fostering those connections.”

Similarly, when asked whether his new game would be set in a modern-day real-world setting like the recognisable Japanese locations of the Yakuza series or something more fantastical like the near-future of Binary Domain, Nagoshi commented that the needs of the drama will take priority over the setting.

“Looking at the sales of the Yakuza series, I think having an Oriental setting probably helped to make it feel more unique, but I don’t think that on its own would be enough to make it a million-seller. There must be something stronger, such as an emotional story, or the balance between gameplay and storytelling, and the overall quality being high. So for our next game to be a worldwide success, I don’t think the setting is that important. If the drama is good, then people in France will be moved by a Takeshi Kitano movie, and we in Japan can enjoy a movie from India. If the quality is good then anyone anywhere should be able to enjoy it. I want to return to that pure element of entertainment.”

Nagoshi Studio's founding members. (Image credit: Nagoshi Studio)

The studio currently consists of around 10 people, and while they are currently hiring more staff, Nagoshi says he intends not to grow beyond 100. For now, the team is taking it slow and steady, and may not focus on much more than the first game idea, to avoid biting off more than they can chew:

“We haven’t decided how many projects to produce at once. But the studio will have a compact number of staff, which means it would be difficult to focus on several games at a time. So there are limitations. It’s possible that we will work on an extra project in tandem, but the basic idea is to work on one idea and put all of our energy into it, to release a first game that is strong and that is well received.”

As for when we’ll see Nagoshi Studio’s first game, that too remains a secret – but Nagoshi himself wants to do it sooner rather than later: “I like to be able to hear players’ feedback to the games we work hard to develop, to consider the reaction and adjust the end goal accordingly. So I hope to be able to show off the game as soon as it is in a condition that is good enough to share. And we will ensure the game is impressive when we do so. I don’t want to take too long.”

Nagoshi joined SEGA in its early arcade days and worked on such series as Virtua Racing, Monkey Ball, and more before founding Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and creating the Yakuza franchise. He confirmed that he was leaving the company last year, and announced the creation of Nagoshi Studio last month.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Quentin415 on February 14th, 2022 at 17:54 UTC »

Yakuza Like A Dragon was such a let down in my opinion. I like Ichiban and his story, but the fighting was so lackluster and boring, I couldn't finish the story. It's like they already made a phone version, it's Like A Dragon. They simplified fighting down so far that instead of actually fighting, you take turns with the enemy in combat, only pressing max, 2 buttons. You can 100% complete Yakuza Like A Dragon fight sequences with your eyes closed, just press X, then A. Perfect for a phone, or a 10 year old. I played through the whole series and when I got to Like A Dragon, it was jarring to see such a drastic change in combat, when combat is such a core component to the game. I really enjoyed where the story was going, but I can't imagine playing any more Yakuza titles with these mechanics. I understand they wanted to switch things up and grab a different audience but daaamn, they basically made a phone game for console.

carrotstix on February 14th, 2022 at 15:42 UTC »

Cool. If he's got the funding and resources to make a console/PC game I'm all for it. Dude (and his team) has made games that are interesting and fun and we can all do with more of that.

vkapadia on February 14th, 2022 at 15:07 UTC »

I get that this studio made the Yakuza games, but the headline is an interesting choice of words.