Yakuza 8 Teased With First Images

Sega and developer RGG Studio have now teased the next mainline game in the Yakuza series, which is simply being referred to from fans as Yakuza 8, with a set of new images. In a general sense, RGG Studio has already confirmed within the past that it would be working on a sequel to 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon. And while details on this follow-up entry are still incredibly sparse, we’ve now started to get a better idea of where the game will be heading. 

In a new video from Mikuru Askura, some of the first screenshots from Yakuza 8 were shown off in a rather odd manner. These images in question were highlighted via an off-screen look at a computer monitor which showed off a number of characters from Like a Dragon with their new appearances in Yakuza 8. Notably, the main protagonist of Like a Dragon, Ichiban Kasuga, seems to be sporting a much different hairstyle this time around. Famitsu also reports that Yakuza 8 will also feature a new town for players to explore. 

You can see some of these images in the tweet below:

新作『龍が如く8』の未公開映像が格闘家・朝倉未来のYouTubeでチラ見せ。朝倉未来もゲーム内に出演決定！

『龍が如く8』の詳細発表前に異例の形で映像公開。映像にはナンバや足立さんらしき姿も。春日一番はアフロではなく、後ろで髪を縛った姿に!?
https://t.co/IZ6sEZI2dR pic.twitter.com/wREvVsRS2v

— ファミ通.com (@famitsu) July 19, 2022

In a general sense, it’s a bit surprising that we still haven’t seen anything formal related to Yakuza 8. Dating back to 2015, RGG Studio has released a new game of some sort in the Yakuza series on an annual basis. While Yakuza: Like a Dragon finally came to the west back in 2020, it was then followed by the spin-off Lost Judgment last year, which itself was a sequel to 2019’s Judgment. At this point in time, 2022 seems like it will be the first year in quite a long time that RGG Studio will go without releasing a title. Given that the company has had some major shakeups within the past year, though, this is pretty understandable. 

For now, Yakuza 8 doesn’t have a release window of any sort. Whenever it does arrive, though, it will likely be coming to both PlayStation and Xbox platforms. 

When do you believe that Yakuza 8 will actually see the light of day? And at what point do you think that RGG Studio might begin to reveal more of the game in a formal capacity? Let me know either down in the comments or reach out to me on Twitter at @MooreMan12.