We don’t know much about the next mainline Yakuza game as of now, but via IGN Japan, we do know something about one of the new characters we’ll be seeing.
Sega recently launched a series of auditions to find the right actress for the role, and Director Daisuke Sato explained that the character would join the new protagonist, Kasuga Ichiban. She will play a major role alongside Ichiban, and not be just an optional side character, though they aren’t quite ready to name or show her. That said, she’s not the main female lead, who Ichiban says is a different character. Ichiban also confirmed that the upcoming Yakuza game differs from previous ones in that where older games in the series held auditions for characters who’d be appearing as side players in the story, this time auditions are being held for those that will serve a more major role in the story.
Not much else is said about the game, and it is shrouded in an amount of mystery. The director has hinted that he wants to drastically change the series, that has run since 2005. The main story of the long-running saga came to close with the latest original title, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, opening the series up to a new protagonist and overarching plot. What this new direction will look like will be anyone’s best guess at this point.