Many have defined the Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) series as a “middle-aged Japanese guy simulator” and its developers intend to keep it that way.
Quizzed by Automaton about the focus on “middle-aged guy things,” series director Ryosuke Horii and lead planner Hirotaka Chiba mentioned that the target audience they’re aiming for matches themselves.
“We are middle-aged guys ourselves… so I guess that’s the kind of target audience we’re going for, probably.”
Horii-san explains that this is actually one of the series’ selling points.
“I think that this is precisely one of Like a Dragon’s selling points. In Yakuza: Like a Dragon, everything starts with three unemployed middle-aged guys being like “Let’s go to Hello Work.”
They have a different air about them than a group of young heroes would, complaining about back pain and the like. But this “humanity” you feel from their age is what gives the game originality.”
He also adds that the Like a Dragon games feel like chilling out with older dudes in a bar instead of going on an exhausting drinking party with youngsters-
“The characters are flesh-and-blood human beings much like our players are, so their problems are relatable. That’s why it’s easy to really get into the game and feel like you’re listening to conversations between ordinary people. There isn’t any typical “game-like” language like “where is the treasure chest?”
Chiba-san brings another example which some could certainly relate to.
“For example, there’s a conversation where Adachi is conflicted about whether he should drink beer or not because he’s worried about his uric acid level. We’re making the hearty talks of middle-aged dudes our identity, rather than youthfulness.”
The developers admit that the series has drawn many new fans including young people and women. While they are grateful for that, they don’t intend to change course to intentionally appease that new audience. Their identity is “the hearty talks of middle-aged guys.”
“For example, there’s a conversation where Adachi is conflicted about whether he should drink beer or not because he’s worried about his uric acid level. We’re making the hearty talks of middle-aged dudes our identity, rather than youthfulness.”
Horii-san ultimately explains that the studio’s policies in creating their games won’t change despite the new demographics that have joined the fanbase, as they’re based on the developer’s personal ideas of what’s fun.
“Our policy as creators has not changed. We are very grateful for the recognition we have received from overseas fans and new, younger players, but we will not change our policy of creating games, which is based on our personal ideas of what’s fun.”
I don’t know about you, but one thing is for sure: there aren’t many “middle-aged Japanese guy simulators” out there nowadays. The Like a Dragon series is fairly unique, and that’s indeed a very likely reason for its popularity.
The latest game of the series, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, is currently available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Fans on Nintendo Switch will soon be able to experience the series for the first time with Yakuza Kiwami, the remake of the original Yakuza game. It’ll come on October 24, 2024.
