Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have had a strong 2024, and things keep getting better. Even discounting acclaimed titles from other Sega studios like Atlus’Metaphor: ReFantazio, RGG Studio has released Like aDragon 8: Infinite Wealth,Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, andVirtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown’s 2.0 console update. It’s then kicking 2025 off with the Steam launch ofVirtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.andLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. After all of that, the 2024 Game Awards introducing a new IP calledProject Centuryand aVirtua Fighterreboot feels like a victory lap.
Little is known about these two recent additions to RGG Studio’s slate, but with so many other games from the developer to play, that’s not a problem. AlthoughProject Centuryisn’t confirmed as part of theYakuza, orLike a Dragon, universe that RGG Studio is known for, it will be a welcome new setting if it is, and a rare move by the developer if it isn’t. Meanwhile, a newVirtua Fightermarks the end of over a decade ofVirtua Fighter 5stasis, and is a dream come true for fans. These two games are both exciting new frontiers for RGG Studio, and that’s not their only similarity.
How RGG Studio’s History Informs Its Modern Games
While RGG Studio and its predecessors AM11, R&D4, Amusement Vision, and New Entertainment R&D Dept. have worked on many different games and genres, RGG is mostly associated with the series that gave it its name,Ryu Ga Gotoku. Known in English asYakuza, the series typically produced action-RPGsthat combined intense brawler action with surprisingly involved storytelling and lots of minigames. At least oneYakuzagame, or something sharing its gameplay, has been launched every year during RGG Studio and New Entertainment R&D’s existence, and they’ve remained remarkably consistent throughout that time.
The Turning Point For RGG Studio and Like a Dragon
That is, untilYakuza: Like a Dragonwas released in 2020. Previous series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu stepped down in favor of Ichiban Kasuga, and not only didYakuza’s English name also make way for the more accurateLike a Dragonmoniker, its gameplay was also replaced. Gone were the real-time hack-and-slash fights of past games, withLike a Dragon 7’s battles becoming turn-based RPG encounters. Side games such asLike a Dragon Garden: The Man Who Erased His Name,Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and theJudgementseries retainLaD’s old brawler gameplay, but RGG’s signature franchise has otherwise totally reinvented itself.
Virtua Fighter and Project Century Embody An RGG Studio Tradition
One could view the two newest RGG Studio projects as the developer continuing to break new ground, but there is another way to interpret them. BothVirtua FighterandProject Centuryretain some form of the classic brawler combat that RGG Studio was known forbefore 2020’sYakuza: Like a Dragon. Neither have implemented real-time combat in the exact way aLike a Dragongame would, withVirtua Fighterstanding out as a PvP-based 3D fighting game, but they are much closer to the old norm thanLaD 7and8were.
Project Centurylooks especially similar toLike a Dragon’s old gameplay style, even if it has dialed up the blood and weapon violence greater than the old crime drama franchise previously dared.Virtua Fightercould also end up with aLike a Dragonstory and exploration elements thanks to RGG’s involvement, resulting in anLaD-adjacent story mode that’s like a3D-flavoredStreet Fighter 6World Tour. Regardless, it’s good to see RGG Studio’s action game expertise flourish whileLike a Dragonfollows its own path, withVirtua FighterandProject Centuryfeeling right at home in the studio’s action-filled library.
