Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth: Chief Producer Sakamoto flew to Hawaii

Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth is the newest entry in the Like A Dragon / Yakuza / Ryu Ga Gotoku series, and Chief Producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto revealed a lot of facts about the development of Infinite Wealth, including going to Hawaii in person.

Like A Dragon series Chief Producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto had to fly to Hawaii for Infinite Wealth

This interview with Chief Producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto was conducted during the Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth media exclusive event in the Philippines.

Q: What challenges did the team encounter when developing Like A Dragon Gaiden and Infinite Wealth simultaneously during the height of the pandemic?

Sakamoto: During the pandemic, people were quarantined and couldn’t go outside. We wanted to make an experience where players can go and explore even if they stay indoors – you can refresh and travel remotely, and that was one of our inspirations. The team really focused on the quality of the game too, we paid attention to the quality of the gameplay and story progression to make the best game we could.

Q: Was the life simulation mini-game with Dondoko Island something slated to be added into a Like A Dragon game for a long time?

Sakamoto: From any other game, I wanted another approach that has an edge for Like A Dragon fans. I really wanted a portion of the game where players could just chill and relax. There are not a lot of games about Hawaii, and I had the idea of Dondoko Island as soon as I heard that we were setting the game in Hawaii.

Q: What research was done to develop the Hawaii map as this is the first game in the series to be set outside Japan?

Sakamoto: We had a hard time since it was all developed during the pandemic, and I had to personally fly to Hawaii because we made mistakes when we gathered data remotely.

I sampled information in person, things like the heights of coconut trees to make sure every detail was accurate.

Q: What unique elements can fans expect with the new Hawaii setting? 

Sakamoto: The experience of the in-game portrayal of Hawaii will be different from any other game in the series. I’ve been to Hawaii before, and I wanted to give players the same experience that I had when I was there.

Q: How did the team balance Infinite Wealth’s massive scope while still focusing on the next chapter of Ichiban’s story?

Sakamoto: I say this in a lot of interviews, but we really don’t really look far ahead when writing a character’s story, so there’s not much balancing to be done there. From all the games, and all the energy from those games, came this double protagonist setup that we have with Infinite Wealth.

Q: What does the Like A Dragon Team take into consideration to find the perfect balance of fun gameplay, humor, and great story?

Sakamoto: I think it’s the variety. There’s something for everyone in Like A Dragon games. No matter what you’re into, you’re bound to find something you like in our games.

Q: What difficulties with development did the team overcome with Infinite Wealth?

Sakamoto: Due to the size of the series, we had a hard time designing characters. We wanted to make new characters that would stand out from the big cast that the Like A Dragon series already has.

Q: What can you say about the fanbases that have formed about the protagonists Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga?

Sakamoto: For a long time, Kazuma Kiryu was our only protagonist, and Ichiban Kasuga was only introduced relatively recently. We’d really appreciate it if fans would like both of our protagonists and not just one.

Q: What can you say about the highly active Like A Dragon fan community in Southeast Asia as it continuously grows? What do you want to tell these eager fans?

Sakamoto: The series has gotten really big over the 19 years it has existed, and I think it will definitely continue to grow bigger. I really want to make unique games, and I want everyone to enjoy these games. I’m really thankful to the community that has formed over the Like A Dragon series – I want to make games that are hits worldwide.

Q: What was the most interesting part of developing Infinite Wealth?

Sakamoto: I’ve been involved in the Yakuza series since very early on, and every game that was released made me happy, especially when I see everyone’s reactions to the game when they have fun with it.

Q: Was there anything from the Like A Dragon community outside of Japan that surprised you?

Sakamoto: Cosplayers! I was really surprised by how many people are cosplaying our characters worldwide.

Q: Can players have a full experience playing Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth as a standalone game or are there any games you would recommend players play first?

Other players may jump onto the latest game, but Like A Dragon is a series after all, so I would suggest players familiarize themselves with the previous games first.

Read more about Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth and its Hawaii-inspired aspects.