Yakuza Kiwami 3 Director Says The Future of the Kiwami Brand Is To Go Beyond Just Remakes

With the release of Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Tides, there's been one question on everyone's mind: what is happening to the Like A Dragon universe? 

Earlier this week, RGG Studio Director and Executive Producer Yokoyama had said the Kiwami brand, previously used for more polished remakes of the original Yakuza games, would end with the newly released Kiwami 3. But given he said you'd understand why from playing 3, it felt less like RGG Studio saying they were done with remakes and more like a statement of ambition: that a new game allowed them to do more things. 

"I don't think it will continue as the Kiwami series anymore", he said during the official broadcast. "I think a different series will begin [...] A new series with a different line and a different meaning. That might be something you understand once you play Yakuza Kiwami 3". 

Ryosuke Horii Shares His Thoughts On Yakuza Kiwami 3

Normally, this kind of quote is something you'd just be left to ponder until the next time you saw someone from RGG Studio. But thankfully, Yakuza Series Chief Director, Yakuza Kiwami 3 director and karaoke superstar Ryosuke Horii had come down to Kuala Lumpur as part of the Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Tides launch event and we got to get his thoughts on the future of Kiwami and what's happening next.

While he didn't drop names or specific directions, he coyly reflected on what it means to no longer be bound by what fans expect from the Kiwami brand. 

"We haven't decided yet whether we will go from Kiwami 3 to Kiwami 4 or 5. Until now, it was Kiwami, Kiwami 2, and now it's Kiwami 3. So, we've been doing things based on the concept of a remake, but this time, Kiwami 3 is a big step beyond that. The general concept between these three games is that they are essentially remakes of some of the older titles in the franchise, but Kiwami 3 kind of goes one step further from just a remake of an old game", he says.

"So, if you've been playing the games or you're familiar with the franchise, you can sort of see from Yokoyama-san's statement, you can sort of guess, it turns out to be some sort of hint about the direction in which the franchise or the series is going", he says. "We hope that you would take that into account, and for those who are playing or for those who would like to know what's going to happen in the future, we hope that this stirs up your imagination so you can exercise a little bit about what's going to happen next".

Revisiting Kiryu's Journey

He also stressed on the focus of the now- that is to say, the story of Kiwami 3 rather than where it wants to go. Given how far ahead into Kiryu's future Infinite Wealth was, he said that for as much as Kiwami 3 could be changed, they wanted to retain the emotional core: the family man Kiryu could have been, via the Morning Glory orphanage.

"If you've played the game or you know the series, you know that moving forward from this point onwards, Kiryu is going to go through some really difficult challenges in his life. Yes. I would say he's going to have a bit of a hard life moving forward", Horii says, with the full force of 5 more games of story ahead of him.

"Because of that, I wanted to juxtapose that with the life at Morning Glory where for the first time, viewers and players might see what Kiryu is like as a dad. Or, you know, him finally understanding what it's like to have a family, the warmth of having a family. So, to create, I guess, a contrast in that sense", he continues. 

"I really want players to experience that in Kiwami 3 because we know what's going to happen in the future for him. So, with this, we will get a lot of chances to see Kiryu essentially looking very happy, looking very content, and a lot of bright and positive moments for him that we can witness while in this game. So, I think a lot of players will appreciate that. And be able to relate with that moving forward in this game". 

He also had one more lighthearted element from Morning Glory to share- where exactly the minigames came from. 

"When you are trying to take care of children, there are elements which involve chores, such as cooking, laundry, and things like that. From our perspective, we are very sure that we wanted to turn those everyday chores into game elements within Morning Glory. So, I decided to take care of the chores that I can't do, and from those chores, I chose the minigame elements", he says.

But how do you turn something as banal as sewing into a Like A Dragon-series level of pomp and circumstance? What more with the added prestige of the Kiwami brand? You look for ways to spice it up- and for Horii, this started with picking the most challenging of the chores. 

"I have children too, but I can't do chores at all. So what I did was sit down and listed all the chores that I couldn't do, and selected those that could be turned into games", he explains. 

As for the specific sewing minigame, I thought that I would never be able to do sewing in real life right? So, I thought about what kind of game I should make. At that time, I came up with the idea of making it like a race game. For example, when the needle moves, the fabric moves. I thought that it would be the same as a race game, and that's how I came up with the idea. That concept was actually pretty much at its core the same as racing", he said, proud of his creation. 

This kind of ideation isn't new to Horii either. Back in the original Yakuza 3, he had infamously brought karaoke into the series- one of its many eccentric staples. That Baka Mitai would be a big enough hit in the community that event the event hall was singing along was a huge departure from the initial reception to the idea- with some internally wanting Kiryu to keep up the stoic act and not cut loose. 

"I think when Yakuza 3 was first released, it didn't necessarily elicit the same kind of enthusiastic response that we see today", Horii reminisces. "In fact, back then, especially when you're talking about the karaoke idea, there were, parties with mixed values looking upon the whole decision". 

"Fast forward 17 years, now that we have a chance to make Yakuza Kiwami 3, the titlebecame well known, globally. So, now you see a lot more acceptance and a lot more enthusiasm for not just the franchise, but also the elements of the game that may not have been as well-received back then. So, that was actually something I am very, very grateful and very happy about", he said graciously.

Speaking on Kiwami-fying an almost two decade-old game, Horii said it was a big opportunity for him to go back to his earlier work like this. Just as Kiryu ages and changes through those games, he mentioned he's happy to be able to make a game that's also more approachable to newer fans with the refined controls. 

"I made Yakuza 3 when I was young, so it has a lot of memories for me", he says, reminiscing. "When I was young, I didn't know how to make a game. As a creator, I regretted a lot". 

"As a game creator, I am very happy to have the opportunity to remake Yakuza 3. It is easier to play than the original Yakuza 3. Hopefully, we have succeeded in making a game that is not only better, but easier to play for future players".