Ghost of Tsushima Helped Convince RGG Studio to Remake Like a Dragon: Ishin

It seems that without the success of PlayStation’s Ghost of Tsushima, developer RGG Studio would have never considered remaking Like a Dragon: Ishin. Announced earlier this week, RGG Studio finally confirmed that it would be bringing Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin to the West in the form of Like a Dragon: Ishin. Previously, the original Japanese version of the game came to PS3 back in 2014, but it remained one of the only entries in the Yakuza franchise to never get localized for the West. Fortunately, Ghost of Tsushima seems to have changed RGG Studio’s mind on this front. 

Speaking to Fanbyte, RGG Studio executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama explained that one of the big reasons why the company felt the need to now bring Like a Dragon: Ishin westward was because of the critical and commercial success of Ghost of Tsushima. Previously, it seems that Yokoyama and those at the studio didn’t believe that a game set in 1800s Japan would find many fans in western markets. Clearly, though, Ghost of Tsushima selling so many copies around the world told RGG Studio otherwise. 

“We saw how well Ghost of Tsushima did, and how it was about this very Japanese setting made by Americans, so that gave us confidence Ishin could do well in America too,” Yokoyama stated. 

While Ghost of Tsushima encouraged RGG Studio to now remake Like a Dragon: Ishin for modern platforms, it wasn’t the only thing that led to this decision. The series reboot with Yakuza: Like a Dragon played a large part in RGG Studio’s choice to look to now return to Ishin. With so many new fans experiencing the Yakuza franchise for the first time, it seemed like a good instance to return to one of the spin-off games in the series that many had still never played. 

At this point in time, Like a Dragon: Ishin still doesn’t have an official release date, but it’s set to launch at some point in February 2023. Whenever it does arrive, it will be available to play on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC platforms.