In the early 2000s, Sega developer Toshihiro Nagoshi had an idea for a game. He had been working on arcade hits and cult favorites for the company for years, including a stint as director for the Super Monkey Ball series. He had to fight for it, even sneaking in a reel during a meeting with a then CEO, but eventually got to get a team he was leading to bring an idea he had to life. That idea was Ryu ga Gotoku, or Like A Dragon, localized as Yakuza initially for the west. It was to be something aimed specifically at adult Japanese men, taking inspiration from crime dramas, and most likely some Shenmue DNA from Nagoshi’s time on the first game in its final six months of development. An RPG and beat-em-up hybrid, with a world to explore, but one very familiar to the target audience.
“I've spent a long time contemplating the etchings of the tree and its roots. Did you know this city used to be a forest? I wonder if our Oldest House wore a different face back then, or if it was always here, a 21st century office building since time immemorial?”