Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s Lost Judgment has been officially revealed and retains the action style that defined its predecessor and pre-Yakuza: Like Dragon games. Speaking to IGN before the big reveal, Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa revealed that Judgment would be the studio’s action series going forward. Meanwhile, Yakuza will remain a turn-based RPG series.
“The Yakuza series has been transformed into a turn-based RPG. On the other hand, over the year, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has accumulated resources and know-how of making flashy and exhilarating action games that are effortless to enjoy. We decided that we should let our signature action gameplay live on through Lost Judgement.” Yakuza: Like a Dragon saw over 400,000 shipments and sales as of March 2020 with its success continuing after launching in the West.
Considering the positive reception to Judgment’s combat, it makes sense to continue building on it into the future. As for Lost Judgment, it’s slated to release on September 24th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PS5 worldwide. Takayuki Yagami returns and this time, he’ll be going undercover at a high school in Yokohama. Though the series’ penchant for serious stories remains, there will be more humorous School Stories to experience as well. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.