Yakuza Creator Toshihiro Nagoshi Says Game Size Will Soon Stop Being Important to Players

Toshihiro Nagoshi, the creator of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, recently shared his thoughts on the future of game design. According to Nagoshi, the industry’s obsession with bigger, longer, and more challenging games might be nearing its end as players start shifting their focus to other elements that make a game enjoyable.

In an interview with Famitsu, Nagoshi said, “I want to make a game that’s fun to play, but not too challenging. If you include overseas games, there are so many titles out there that it’s impossible to play them all.”

He also commented on the growing number of large-scale games, stating, “Looking at the situation, I think the number of console games for the general enthusiast is a bit excessive. There are still many titles coming out that boast large sizes, but I think the era of games where volume is a selling point is coming to an end.”

This change is also influencing Nagoshi’s approach to his first project with Nagoshi Studio, developed in partnership with NetEase Games. He revealed that the size of the game is still under consideration as the team moves closer to full development.

“We should be entering the mass production phase of the assets soon, so it’s time to decide on the final volume estimate, but I’m still thinking about whether it’s really good enough,” Nagoshi explained. “Of course we have the map, but the current version is so big, maybe even too big.”

Nagoshi added that the team initially designed a large map with roads and highways but has since been scaling it back to find the right balance. “This time, by researching existing games, we started by creating a fairly large map with roads and highways. Now we are gradually reducing it and exploring the best balance for the game.”

For those who don’t know, Nagoshi left Sega’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio to establish Nagoshi Studio in 2022. He is working with NetEase Games and a team of veterans who previously worked on Yakuza.

Meanwhile, Nagoshi’s first game is still unknown. He has hinted that it will include violence as a gameplay element but won’t fully dive into the thriller or horror genres. “I want my game to be more like a Quentin Tarantino film, so there’s room for humor,” he teased.

(Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and readability.)

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