Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi has recently founded a new game development studio under NetEase, and the first details on its current operations and the first major project it's working on are now available. Now officially known as the Nagoshi Studio, the company's first game is apparently going to be a large-scale project.
Though mostly known for its work on the legendary Yakuza franchise, SEGA's RGG Studio also produced a number of standalone projects under Nagoshi's leadership, such as Binary Domain and the Super Monkey Ball games. Nagoshi is reportedly interested in doing things he and his team could never do before, and with Yakuza being his flagship franchise, this may lead to some interesting developments in the future.
When Nagoshi announced his departure from SEGA late last year, he was joined by eight other SEGA/RGG Studio veterans to found Nagoshi Studio. With Nagoshi himself at the helm, the studio aims to focus on quality releases that appeal both to core fans of its previous output, and to a broader audience of gamers. Its first project will be a large-scale production, and Nagoshi wishes to announce it as soon as possible.
Since Nagoshi wants his team's next project to appeal to a wider audience than before, this may mean that Nagoshi Studios considers the Yakuza franchise in general to have been a niche offering. If so, the team may pivot its efforts in an entirely new direction, though it remains to be seen what this might be.
It is, of course, interesting to point out the controversy that surrounded Lost Judgment, a standalone offshoot of the mainline Yakuza franchise. While there's no way of knowing if the disputes surrounding the launch of the game affected Nagoshi's disposition towards his previous employers, the coincidence is certainly interesting. This may also be one of the reasons why the newly-formed Nagoshi Studio wishes to start anew with a clean slate under the wing of NetEase.
Simultaneously, Yakuza itself isn't going anywhere, as SEGA has already reiterated its dedication to continuing the series. Following the success of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, RGG Studios is set to continue working on the franchise, with the next game in the series apparently putting the players back into the shoes of Like a Dragon's protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga.