Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s upcoming spin-off, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, organically became much larger than Like a Dragon: Gaiden without any padding.
During a recent interview, Like a Dragon series’ executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama was asked about the increase in volume of content between Gaiden and Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. He had previously acknowledged that the former, having a duration of 10 to 20 hours, had just the right kind of volume. Despite that, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will feature more volume, spanning a duration of around 50 to 70 hours. In response, the executive producer stated that the volume in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii ended up increasing due to its story.
According to Yokoyama, the volume of a game is determined by the length of the main storyline, and when the development team created the main story for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, it ended up being 1.3 times longer than that of Gaiden.
The Like a Dragon series’ executive producer mentioned that, if one really wants to, they can inflate a game’s content by padding in fetch quests that require players to trigger specific conditions to progress. The more prerequisites one includes, the longer the playtime becomes. However, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii ended up being larger in scope than Gaiden without the need for such artificial tactics, as the game’s volume grew in an organic manner. The map is expansive, filled with numerous locations to explore, and there are still features that the development team has yet to reveal. He believes the $10 price difference between the two titles speaks for itself; Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is priced at $59.99 USD, while Gaiden is $49.99 USD.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is set to release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on February 21, 2025.
