Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the longest Yakuza game yet: "If you go at it continuously, you'll get sick"

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will be the longest Yakuza game to date.

In a new interview with Game Watch (and translated by Automaton Media), Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama dubbed Infinite Wealth a "monster-class game longer than anything we’ve made so far," and something that can't be completed in just one or two all-nighters.

"This means that a lot of people are going to hesitate to play the game or will end up having it wait on their shelves. I found the possibility of that kind of outcome sad, so I thought, we have to get everyone hyped up enough to play it," Yokoyama added of Infinite Wealth's length.

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"We have to get people to play the game in about a week or a month, even at the cost of their health, which is why it’s our duty as creators to generate enough to be excited about. I've thought this way for the past year or two – for a game like Infinite Wealth, we have to get a festival going on. It would feel kind of rude to just drop such a long game and be done with it," Yokoyama continued with a laugh.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth being the longest Yakuza game to date is saying something. 2020's Like a Dragon could easily run for over 50 hours, by the time you were all said and done with the grind, and a lot of the previous Kiryu-led Yakuza games could last anywhere between 20 and 30 hours, even if you were sticking religiously to the main story.

The prospect of Infinite Wealth not only being the longest Yakuza game, but also folding in huge elements like the Animal Crossing-style island, is a lot to take. It's understandable to see why Yokoyama feels a lot of people will get put off from such a long game, but it's also easy to see why he feels like he needs to get people heated enough to play the entire thing.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's demo is out now, but only if you bag a copy of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. You can read up on our full Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth preview to see why we called it one of the most ridiculous JRPGs we've ever played.

Infinite Wealth also resurrects one of Yakuza's best characters - but they may be confined to a tiny role.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.