At last night’s Famitsu Awards 2016 where Yakuza 6 picked up an excellence award. Series director and CCO of SEGA, Toshihiro Nagoshi, took to the stage to receive the award on behalf of the studio and went on to confirm the existence of the next title in the Ryu Ga Gotoku legacy.

While he didn’t say too much during the followup interview Famitsu editor-in-chief, Katsuhiko Hayashi, Nagoshi gave a little more detail on what’s next for the series:

  • As long as Yakuza 6 is labeled “the final chapter of Kazuma Kiryu,” we won’t be saying anything like, “just kidding!”
  • One of the keywords is that I want to create a new Yakuza. (Editor’s Note: This would be “Like A Dragon” (there’s a difference dammit!))
  • I don’t think it’s necessary to narrow it down to a single title. It may be multiple titles.
  • We created the Dragon Engine with Yakuza 6, but the game engine itself will be completed with the development of a second or third title.
  • I’m already working on the next title. In the not too distant future… I think there will be an opportunity to talk about the next game’s development in a relatively early stage.

(thx Gematsu)

So there we have it the next game in the series is already underway and in the early stages.

This lines up well with a tweet Series Director/Writer Yokoyama Masa put out on April 9th talking about the new studio finally being set up at SEGA.

“In April, a lot of new things have begun. Today is the beginning kick-off for the studio. We’ll be even stronger. This last month I haven’t been able to check on Twitter because the busiest days of the last few years have been going on. Since so many things are moving that it’s scary, I’ll let you know what’s up some day.”

(thx Dualshockers)

With any luck we’ll hear more during TGS in September!