Toshihiro Nagoshi, creator of the Like a Dragon, aka Yakuza, series recently shared in a Japanese live show the challenges he faced in getting the first Yakuza game approved by Sega.
Yakuza Like a Dragon Series Initially Rejected by SEGA According to Creator Toshihiro Nagoshi
Yakuza Didn't Appeal to SEGA Execs During a Rough Period in Japan's Gaming Industry
Speaking on live documentary show Weekly Ochiai, Yakuza: Like a Dragon series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi recounted how Sega initially rejected pitches for the game multiple times, saying that the company didn't believe that the game would appeal to women, children, or overseas audiences.
During the early 2000s, when Nagoshi was pitching the first Yakuza game, Sega was struggling to release globally successful titles. This period saw Japanese games losing dominance in worldwide sales charts, with American and European games becoming increasingly popular. "This led to a mindset of making games that would appeal to the masses, games that could sell anywhere and to anyone," Nagoshi explained.
Despite the industry favoring mass-appeal games, Nagoshi remained committed to his vision for Yakuza, a gritty, adult-themed game set in the criminal underworld of Japan. "Of course, it was flat out rejected," Nagoshi said matter-of-factly. "Children wouldn’t be able to play it, and it wasn’t catered to women nor overseas audiences."
Nagoshi continued to refine his pitch, believing that the game's unique identity could still achieve commercial success. His persistence paid off after at least three attempts, with the final approval process being "quite forceful," shared Nagoshi.
Nagoshi Wants Yakuza: Like a Dragon to be Inspirational
Despite the Yakuza series' violent themes, Nagoshi did not want it to be a game that glorified violence. "I wanted it to be a game that makes you want to do your best to live another day," he recalled, emphasizing this point frequently to his team.
Ultimately, Yakuza became a hit, selling around a million copies soon after its launch. The game's success led to the rapid release of a sequel, Yakuza 2, the following year. Nagoshi explained that the team wanted to capitalize on the momentum. Since its debut, the Yakuza series has grown into an internationally successful franchise with 23 entries and over 21.3 million worldwide sales as of late 2023. The latest installment, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, shipped one million copies in its first week and received a perfect 40/40 score from the esteemed Japanese magazine Famitsu, an accolade also achieved by Yakuza 5 in 2012.
Nagoshi left Sega in October 2021 and has since established his own company, Nagoshi Studio, backed by NetEase. He and his team are currently working on their first game.
