Toshihiro Nagoshi, the intellectual father of yakuza games, and Daisuke Sato, the producer of the series, announced their departure from SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku studio, the game studio responsible for yakuza within SEGA.

Nagoshi’s history at SEGA dates back to virtua racing and monkey ball games, the 1990s. It was a claim that Nagoshi, the creator of the Yakuza, would leave SEGA for about a month and a half.

Creator and producer of Yakuza games quits

Ryu Ga Gotoku’s new executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama, the studio’s “main leaders” were Ryosuke Horii and producers Hiroyuki Sakamoto. The studio will continue to make turn-based Yakuza games.

In his farewell message released today, Nagoshi said:

” As of today, a new Ryu Ga Gotoku has been born to continue the Yakuza series. I’m not sure what they’re going to reveal, but I believe the next generation will be releasing great games, sticking to the foundations we’ve developed over the years. To achieve this, the new team will have to learn and push their way through. I ask you to continue to support Ryu Ga Gotoku’s studio.”

Daisuke Sato, the producer of the series, expressed his confident that the studio they left behind would move forward not only to continue the Yakuza series, but to maintain the momentum of the series.