RGG Studio, the creators of the Yakuza and Judgement series, hosted a livestream on September 20th to unveil upcoming games in the pipeline. I was hoping for news of a third Judgement installment as I figured now would be the perfect time to announce it, with the latest mainline Yakuza entry having been recently released in January. While Judgement 3 is still shrouded in mystery, reality has proved to be even more surprising…
I’m conflicted. On the one hand, I had hoped the series would return to Japan, and Infinite Wealth – the latest Yakuza installment – fell flat in several ways for me. Realistically, it makes sense that RGG would want to continue using their Hawaii map that they put lots of detail and effort into. Even though the premise is ridiculous and it looks like Majima may have amnesia and become separated from his friends (Saejima and Daigo, mainly), the thought of getting another game with Majima as the main character is exciting. My only hope is that RGG doesn’t begin to churn out low effort shorter games to capitalize on their growing popularity. They’re a company out to make money and it’s not reasonable to pretend otherwise, but I’m hoping to see them continue to create the magic they were capable of as recently as of Yakuza 7.
Going by the trailer, Majima somehow washes up on the shores of Rich Island near Hawaii. He gets involved with pirates, becoming one himself, and even deals with plot threads leftover from Infinite Wealth. We know that this game takes place after Infinite Wealth since Majima mentions the Nele Island plot and how the island is currently being cleared of its radioactive waste stockpile. The trailer also mentions Yakuza visiting Hawaii on a mission to safely dispose of the waste. At the very least, this means that Nele Island will continue to be somewhat relevant in this game, and will probably lead to trouble for Majima. This is a spin-off game that will most likely tie into the main plot, as with Kiryu’s The Man Who Erased His Name.
I will probably buy this game. After my disappointment over Infinite Wealth, I was pretty down on the series, but a pirate game featuring Majima seems like an adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Plus, it’s totally in-character that Majima would wash up on a beach with amnesia and become a pirate captain for a few months. Above all, I’m curious to see how this game fits into the main story and the hints it’ll provide at what’s next for Ichiban – and possibly even Kiryu.