Operation Backlog Completion 2025

RGG Summit Set for September 20

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Aug 302024
 

RGG Studio has announced the next RGG Summit.

It will be held on September 20 at 3 AM PT / 6 AM ET, and they’re expected to announce the next game in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series.

Previously they said their next game would be revealed at TGS, which is roughly a week later, so I’m not quite sure what to make of that. Either they meant they’re going to show their next game at TGS and it was misinterpreted to mean an announcement since they hadn’t mentioned the RGG Summit yet, or they have multiple games to announce.

Let’s talk briefly about the past RGG Summits.

The first one was in September 2022. Like a Dragon Ishin had been announced the previous night at a State of Play, and the Summit provided more information about that, along with the first reveal of Like a Dragon 8 (later titled Infinite Wealth) and the surprise announcement of Like a Dragon Gaiden. While not being announced at the Summit, Judgment and Lost Judgment PC ports were shadow-dropped afterwards.

In short, the first RGG Summit was huge.

In June 2023, the RGG Summit returned to show trailers for Gaiden and Infinite Wealth that had already been shown at other events, with a little more information provided.

Then in September 2023, there was another RGG Summit that provided a deeper look at Infinite Wealth.

So this is the first time since 2022 that we’re going into an RGG Summit without the next game(s) already having been announced (unless you count the Switch port of Kiwami). That opens up the potential for it to be an exciting event with multiple announcements like that first RGG Summit was.

Personally, I’d love to see a new Judgment game, and I haven’t lost hope for a Dead Souls remaster. A Kenzan remake would also be quite a pleasant surprise. It feels too early for the next mainline game to be announced, but another Gaiden side game isn’t out of the question. And let’s not forget the mysterious “Yakuza Wars” trademark we thought would be the TGS announcement.

I’m probably in the minority on this, but I don’t want a Kiwami 3. Yakuza 3 might feel a bit clunky to play, but its remaster is still fine and I’d rather them use their time and energy on other games.

Meanwhile, I’ve started Infinite Wealth but am still early in the game, and I’m partway through Lost Judgment. Here’s hoping I make enough progress before September 20 so that I don’t risk spoilers by watching the Summit…

What are your hopes and expectations for this year’s RGG Summit?

Let’s Talk About That Mysterious “Yakuza Wars” Trademark

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Aug 072024
 

Surprise trademarks often make for interesting speculation, even if they don’t always come to fruition.

New Tales entries, for example, are often preceded by a bunch of potential title trademarks, of which they only use a few.

Meanwhile, Capcom’s “Apollo Justice” trademark looked like it was going to come to nothing back in 2022, but this year we got the Apollo Justice Trilogy.

On the other hand, there’s still no sign of that Yo-Kai Watch spin-off.

(Maybe once Level-5’s other games finally come out? Maybe?)

As you can see, trademarks are far from a guarantee of an announcement, but they still make for fun speculation, especially if you know a company has an announcement coming up. That brings us to our topic of discussion today, a mysterious “Yakuza Wars” trademark filed by Sega.

RGG Studio recently confirmed they will announce a new game at TGS in September, after saying that their next game would “surprise” fans. That information on top of this curious trademark has caused speculation to run wild. Although the series is now known as Like a Dragon in the west instead of Yakuza, fans are theorizing that it might be the name of a new spin-off.

So, assuming it’s a Like a Dragon spin-off, what could it be?

Sega also owns the series Sakura Wars, a tactical RPG series mixed with visual novel and dating sim gameplay, although the most recent entry moved to action-based combat instead. Nevertheless, a “Yakuza Wars” trademark from the company that owns Sakura Wars means that one theory is a Sakura Wars crossover or a Like a Dragon tactical RPG spin-off. Interestingly, RGG Studio helped with the development of the most recent Sakura Wars game.

Another popular theory is that it could be real-time strategy, another genre that would fit well with the “wars” theme. Since the series has had light RTS mini-games in the past, it’s plausible enough.

Some fans think it will be a live service game or a mobile game, although keep in mind that there’s already a Like a Dragon mobile game in Japan. These theories generally come from either comparing the title to Mafia Wars or imagining the “wars” aspect as involving multiple players competing against each other.

And a handful off fans have suggested it could be a musou-style action game instead.

Of course, there is the possibility that this has nothing to do with the Like a Dragoon series after all. It would be very funny if Sega dropped the “Yakuza” title and then made a completely unrelated “Yakuza” game.

Between the trademark and RGG’s statement about their next game being a surprise, I’m inclined to think it’s a Like a Dragon spin-off in a new genre. The Sakura Wars theory actually feels more plausible the more I think about it – not a crossover, necessary, but a spin-off done in that style.

If the trademark is for the game being announced at TGS, we won’t have too much longer to wait. What do you think Yakuza Wars is?