Yakuza 8 is now Like a Dragon 8 and its getting a Kiryu spinoff prequel

digitaltrends.com:

Ryu Ga Gotoku and Sega have revealed that Yakuza 8, now officially titled Like a Dragon 8, will launch in early 2024 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It’ll feature the return of Kazuma Kiryu, whose appearance will be explained in a new spinoff title: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

The game will star both Yakuza: Like a Dragon protagonist Ichiban Kasuga and series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. This time around Kiryu sports a new, gray hairstyle. According to RGG, this will be the largest game in the series to date. It will feature turn-based RPG combat again and it seems like Kiryu will have his own party to romp around with.

RGG also announced a spinoff game, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S as well. This will launch in 2023 and show events following Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and leading up to Like a Dragon 8. RGG says that it will be roughly half as long as a typical game in the series and will features a more “classic” Yakuza experience which most likely means it’ll be an action-adventure brawler.

Following yesterday’s announcement of Like A Dragon: Ishin! during the September State of Play presentation, RGG announced a February release window for the game. Now, the studio confirmed that it will launch on February 21, 2023.

It also seems like Sega is dropping the “Yakuza” moniker from the franchise going forward and going with “Like a Dragon.” The latter name is a more accurate translation of the franchise’s Japanese name, as series creator, Toshiro Nagoshi felt that dragons provoke the feelings of strength the series is known for.