Like a Dragon technical lead says "new programmers at RGG Studio are blessed" by Yakuza games' quick turnaround because "recent major titles tend to have long development cycles"

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Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is coming out a year after Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which lets new developers climb the ranks quickly

Goro Majima grins upwards with an eyepatch and pirate seed in a screenshot from Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
(Image credit: Sega)

Like a Dragon series technical director Yutaka Ito reckons new Ryu Ga Gotoku programmers are fortunate to work on the famously prolific Yakuza series.

In a wide-ranging interview with Automaton, Ito gave a bunch of insights into the internal mechanism that keeps Like a Dragon games releasing so consistently.

Ito said the main programmers on Yakuza games probably aren't privy to exactly what each module is doing at any given time, but each one has its own section leader making sure everything goes according to plan. According to Ito, that's "precisely how we’re able to make such large-scale games in the Like a Dragon series."

Programming section manager Tomoaki Nakamura also chimed in with encouraging words for new programmers working with RGG. "If your name appears in a game’s end credits in your second year in the industry, and your next title is right around the corner, you might feel like sticking at it for another year. Last year's newbies had their names come up in three games in a single year."

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.