The studio of the creator of the Ryu ga Gotoku franchise, better known as Yakuza in the West, has closed its doors. According to Kanpo, an official Japanese government outlet, the company’s shareholders agreed to dissolve it on October 31, thus putting an end to the lingering uncertainty over the company’s future.
A death foretold
Nagoshi Studios, founded by Toshihiro Nagoshi in November 2021 and financed by NetEase, had been on shaky ground since last March when the latter cut off its funding. This was because the game they were developing, called Gang of Dragon, needed more than forty-four million additional dollars to be completed.
Announced in December 2025, Gang of Dragon was a game that was heavily influenced by the Yakuza franchise, but with a much grittier twist. Drawing from yakuza stories from the ’80s and ’90s instead of the ’50s, it promised to offer something much more violent and brutal, with the Korean actor Ma Dong-seok, known for his roles in films like Train to Busan or Marvel’s Eternals, in the lead role.
NetEase is a major Chinese conglomerate that has drastically reduced its investment in video games over the last year after an aggressive studio acquisition spree over the last five years. This has led to a major internal crisis that has led, among other things, to the closure of Nagoshi’s studio, a veteran with an impressive track record and whose future remains unclear.
Author: Álvaro Arbonés
{
"de-DE": "Kulturjournalist und Schriftsteller mit einem besonderen Interesse für Audiovisuelles und alles, was gespielt werden kann. Ich bin nicht hier, um über meine Bücher zu sprechen, aber Sie können mich immer danach fragen, wenn Sie neugierig sind.",
"en-US": "Cultural journalist and writer with a special interest in audiovisuals and everything that can be played. I'm not here to talk about my books, but you can always ask me about them if you're curious.",
"es-ES": "Periodista cultural y escritor con especial interés en lo audiovisual y todo lo que se pueda jugar. No he venido a hablar de mis libros, pero siempre puedes preguntarme por ellos si tienes curiosidad.",
"fr-FR": "Journaliste culturel et écrivain avec un intérêt particulier pour l'audiovisuel et tout ce qui peut être joué. Je ne suis pas ici pour parler de mes livres, mais vous pouvez toujours me demander à leur sujet si vous êtes curieux.",
"it-IT": "Giornalista culturale e scrittore con un interesse speciale per l'audiovisivo e tutto ciò che può essere giocato. Non sono qui per parlare dei miei libri, ma puoi sempre chiedermi di loro se sei curioso.",
"ja-JP": "",
"nl-NL": "",
"pl-PL": "",
"pt-BR": "Jornalista cultural e escritor com um interesse especial em audiovisuais e tudo que pode ser jogado. Não estou aqui para falar sobre meus livros, mas você sempre pode me perguntar sobre eles se estiver curioso.",
"social": {
"email": "",
"facebook": "",
"twitter": "https://twitter.com/AlvaroMortem",
"linkedin": ""
}
}
View all posts by Álvaro Arbonés
