Sega Rebrands Yakuza Series as Like A Dragon Globally

In a move to unify its branding worldwide, Sega has announced that the Yakuza series will now be known as Like A Dragon outside of Japan, aligning with its original Japanese name, Ryu Ga Gotoku. This change aims to create consistency between the Japanese and international markets, as stated by Sega in a statement to Kotaku, citing the desire to "more closely align with the Japanese name." Historically, the series was released under the title Yakuza in Western markets to emphasize its thematic elements, while in Japan, it has always been known as Ryu Ga Gotoku, or Like A Dragon. This dual naming convention was used for seven mainline games and two remakes from 2006 to 2017, before the series started transitioning with Yakuza: Like A Dragon in 2020. The recent announcement of Like A Dragon 8 marks the complete phase-out of the Yakuza branding, with the game scheduled for release in 2024.