Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an upcoming role-playing video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the ninth mainline entry of the Like a Dragon series, and a direct sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020) and the spin-off title Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023).
Infinite Wealth stars Ichiban Kasuga, protagonist of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Kazuma Kiryu, the original protagonist of the series, and takes place in the franchise's first-ever overseas locale, Hawaii, in addition to familiar settings in Japan. Together with old and new allies, Kasuga and Kiryu team up to help the former find and reunite with his mother in Hawaii.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is set to release worldwide on January 26, 2024.
Gameplay
In Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, players control Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu, and their respective party members, as they explore the Isezaki Ijincho district of Yokohama, as well as Honolulu City in Hawaii. Similar to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the game employs a turn-based combat system for all playable characters. Each character can choose from a multitude of "jobs", which act as classes that grant them distinctive perks and playstyles. Kiryu's unique job also allows him to temporarily perform real-time combat, similar to the brawler gameplay from previous Like a Dragon titles. The Poundmates summon system returns, featuring a variety of new and returning franchise characters, such as Shun Akiyama and Kaoru Sayama.
In addition to returning minigames such as Karaoke, Darts and Mahjong, new minigames are introduced in Infinite Wealth, such as Crazy Delivery, which is inspired by Sega's Crazy Taxi franchise; Sujimon Battle, a Pokémon parody game; and Miss Match, a dating app for Kasuga. A major side activity, Happy Resort DonDoko Island, tasks Kasuga with managing his own resort island, combining tasks such as resource gathering, crafting, and social interactions.
Premise
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth follows former Tojo Clan yakuza members Ichiban Kasuga (Kazuhiro Nakaya/Kaiji Tang) and Kazuma Kiryu (Takaya Kuroda/Yong Yea) as they embark on a new adventure in Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama and Honolulu City, Hawaii. Following a tip from a former comrade, Kasuga travels to Honolulu in search of his biological mother, Akane Kishida, who he thought had died many years ago. Meanwhile, Kiryu is also present in Honolulu in search of Akane per the Daidoji faction's orders, and teams up with Kasuga to find and protect her from various local criminal organizations. In the process, Kasuga also learns that Kiryu has contracted cancer, and has an undetermined amount of time to live.
Kasuga's party members from Yakuza: Like a Dragon return, including: Yu Nanba (Ken Yasuda), Koichi Adachi (Akio Otsuka), Saeko Mukoda (Sumire Uesaka), Tianyou Zhao (Nobuhiko Okamoto), and Joongi Han (Yuichi Nakamura). Joining the playable roster are Seonhee (Hana Takeda), leader of the Ijincho-based Geomijul syndicate and Yokohama Liumang gang, and a supporting character from the previous title; Eric Tomizawa (Satoru Iguchi), a local taxi driver in Hawaii; and Chitose Fujinomiya (Anju Inami), Akane's personal maid. Other supporting characters include: Eiji Mitamura (Ryo Narita), a disabled individual who Kasuga meets and befriends at Honolulu; Goro Majima (Hidenari Ugaki), Taiga Saejima (Rikiya Koyama), and Daigo Dojima (Satoshi Tokushige), former Tojo Clan officers and Kiryu's long-time allies.
Infinite Wealth features a multitude of antagonists, including: Jo Sawashiro (Shinichi Tsutsumi), former right-hand man of Kasuga's biological father Masumi Arakawa (Kiichi Nakai); Masataka Ebina (Hiroki Hasegawa/Daniel Dae Kim), captain and acting chairman of the Ijincho-based yakuza organization Seiryu Clan; and Dwight (Danny Trejo), leader of the Honolulu-based Barracudas gang. Also appearing in the game is Tatara Hisoka, a VTuber who uses her platform to defame Kasuga and expose Kiryu's status to the world.
Development and promotion
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was announced in September 2022 during Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's Summit livestream, initially named Like a Dragon 8. The first announcement trailer featured voiceover from various characters in the game, followed by the on-screen appearance of both Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu. Kiryu's design was a notable highlight due to the major contrast with his past appearances.