Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (RGG Studio), the masterminds behind the Like a Dragon franchise, have revealed exciting details about their latest spin-off, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. The upcoming title, featuring fan-favorite character Goro Majima, will be significantly larger than last year’s Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and promises players a thrilling new adventure with fresh environments to explore.
Expanding the Like a Dragon Universe
In recent years, RGG Studio has been experimenting with smaller spin-off titles between their main Like a Dragon entries. 2023 saw the release of Like a Dragon Gaiden, which brought series icon Kazuma Kiryu back into action while connecting the narrative from Yakuza 6 to his reappearance in Yakuza: Like a Dragon and the upcoming Infinite Wealth. These side stories have allowed players to explore the broader Yakuza universe, offering additional context to the mainline games.
Now, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes this concept a step further. Set one year after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the game introduces Goro Majima’s unexpected journey through Honolulu and beyond, giving players a swashbuckling experience unlike any in the series to date.
A Bigger World to Explore
In a cast interview during RGG Summit 2024, Studio Director Masayoshi Yokoyama confirmed that Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will be about 1.5 times larger than Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. While Gaiden’s explorable areas were relatively modest, with Sotenbori and the unique "Castle" party town, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii promises a more expansive world. Yokoyama specifically highlighted Honolulu City, which players may recognize from Infinite Wealth, along with a new area called Mad Lantis—an exotic and intriguing locale for Majima's adventure.
Yokoyama mentioned that these "Gaiden" spin-off games are gradually growing larger in scope than originally intended. While Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii won't match the scale of mainline titles like Infinite Wealth, which spans massive areas like Honolulu, Ijincho, and Kamurocho, the upcoming game still presents an exciting, robust world for players to dive into.