Yakuza / Like a Dragon characters like Kiryu Kazuma and Ichiban Kasuga probably won't show up as expansion fighters in other games like Mortal Kombat or Tekken anytime soon.
Series producer and writer Masayoshi Yokoyama told Polygon he didn't think Yakuza characters appearing in other games was a good idea, and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio will instead stick to exploring other mediums like it's doing with the Like A Dragon: Yakuza Prime Video series premiering on October 25, 2024.
"Going across mediums like we did with [the Prime Video series] is better, rather than just going to another game," Yokoyama said. "We receive all kind of invitations to appear in other games, but we never actually went over to their doorstep and said ‘let us in.’ I think going cross-medium is the better way to go about it."
Collaborations between games has grown increasingly common over the years, with fighting games being at the forefront of the movement thanks to the likes of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate starring characters from Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Persona, and more, The Witcher 3's Geralt of Rivia appearing in Soulcalibur 6, and the likes of The Boys' Homelander appearing in Mortal Kombat 1.
Yokoyama's comments come after some fans theorized the Yakuza series is about to undergo a full crossover with publisher Sega's Sakura Wars franchise, thanks to it filing a trademark for something called Yakuza Wars.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is revealing its next game sometime between September 26 and September 29 at Tokyo Game Show, though, so there isn't too long to wait before fans have an answer.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
