Toshihiro Nagoshi, creator of both Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza, has founded a new studio at Sega with a design focus on the latter franchise. According to a report from Famitsu (as translated by Andriasang) the first project out of the new studio – known as ‘Ryu ga Gotoku’ or Yakuza Studio – will be a follow-up to the franchise’s PSP spin-off Black Panther, which is expected sometime next year.
Speaking at a round-table discussion, Nagoshi went into detail on the next entry in the franchise proper, Yakuza 5. While the interactive “drama” segments of the game – including cinematics and NPC interactions – won’t see much change, Nagoshi aims to update the gameplay to reflect new technology. While no complete portions of the game will be excised, some basic settings (meaning design, not locations) are being sized up for a bit of innovation. Nagoshi stated that due to these potential new changes, the turnover rate for Yakuza 5‘s release will be longer than in the series’ past.
(via Andriasang, through GamePro)
Good news for me. I love those games. I just wish they would release some of the spin-offs in the US.