In a recent interview with Japanese outlet GNN (translated by Siliconera), Yakuza: Like a Dragon's producer, Daisuke Sato, got to talking a bit about how fans have reacted to the announcement of the upcoming continuation of Sega's popular series. He also explained why Yokohama was chosen as the setting for this new adventure, as well as why Dragon Quest played such a big part in designing the protagonist's unique identity.
The initial reaction to Like a Dragon ditching the series' traditional gameplay style was fairly mixed. While some fans were pleased that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios would be treading new ground, others were upset that Yakuza seemed to be finished. After a larger gameplay reveal at Tokyo Game Show 2019, the reaction seemed to circle back around to being positive, which made Sato say, "See! I told you it would be fun."
Like a Dragon features a new protagonist, so the studio felt the game should feature a new city for him to explore. Yokohama was chosen because of its closeness to Tokyo (which the main Yakuza titles take place in) and because Western players would be aware of it. There's also the reputation surrounding the city, which serves as a metaphor for what protagonist Ichiban Kasuga went through. In the past, Yokohama was seedy and dirty but has now been cleaned up. Ichiban, as well, has a past of growing up in a soapland with no knowledge of his parents, before eventually turning himself around.
The subtitle for Like a Dragon in Japanese and Chinese roughly translates to "The Whereabouts of Light and Darkness." While related to the narrative of this particular game, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios also tried to make it sound very much like a Dragon Quest subtitle. Ichiban was designed to be reminiscent of the "Hero" from Dragon Quest. Sato also coyly dodged answering a question if Ichiban would have some royal bloodline like in Square Enix's popular series, implying any answer might constitute as a spoiler.
As we get closer to the release for Like a Dragon, I'm beginning to come around to the idea of its RPG gameplay. I'm not exactly big on RPGs, but Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios has yet to make a bad game. If nothing else, I'm sure I'll dig the story and I'll obviously love exploring yet another slice of virtualized Japan.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is scheduled for a January 16, 2020 release on PS4 in Japan. The Western release will come later in 2020.
Source: Siliconera