Once a hidden gem, the Yakuza franchise only got the recognition it deserved for mashing up serious crime drama and martial arts action with the goofiest shit imaginable just a few years ago. Yakuza 0 was what put it into the limelight, and the seventh mainline game, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, switched things up in a huge way by swapping the OG beat-'em-up style compact with a neat turn-based JRPG system, and against all odds it worked. The future of the series seems like it'll embrace both styles across several games, with another big change on the way.

First up is the highly-anticipated remake of a spin-off only released in Japan as a PS4 launch title. Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! had the same cast as the main series but was set in the Edo period. Instead of playing as Kiryu brawling with Yakuza in modern day Tokyo, you play as his feudal lookalike Sakamoto Ryoma duelling with samurai in 18th century Edo. Basically, if Yakuza is "Japanese GTA" as some people say, then this is Japanese Red Dead. Ryu ga Gotoku studio say they were inspired to rerelease the game after the success of Ghost of Tsushima, which had an accurate representation of the same time period despite being developed by a non-Japanese studio. Maybe this'll be even more authentic, or maybe not considering this is Yakuza we're talking about.

The remake will be known as Like a Dragon: Ishin!, and is being developed using Unreal Engine 4 rather than RGG studio's own Dragon Engine. It'll also feature more content as well as familiar faces from 0 and LAD. Like a Dragon: Ishin! is out on PS4, PS5, Xbone, Series X/S and PC on February 23.

Next up is Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, a smaller scale interquel that shows just what Kiryu got up to between the last time we saw him in 6 and (SPOILER) his brief return in LAD. Unlike LAD, the combat will feature the dynamic Dragon-style beatdowns Kiryu is known for rather than turn-based battles. This is set to be released sometime TBD next year after Ishin!.

Finally, there's the big one. The sequel to Like a Dragon will officially be known as... Like a Dragon 8. Not Yakuza 8 or Like a Dragon 2. In fact, you may have picked up on the fact that none of these games have Yakuza in the title. From now on, the series' localized name is officially Like a Dragon, the English translation of the series' Japanese name, Ryu ga Gotoku.

We don't know much right now other than it'll feature Ichiban teaming up with Kiryu, turn-based combat is returning and it's supposedly the biggest game in the series to date according to Sega. It's due to release some time in 2024, so it'll be some time til we can see the story behind Kiryu's new yee yee ass haircut. At least we got two other games to hold us over until then. And RGG Studio haven't let me down before.

What do you guys think of the name change? Do you prefer Yakuza or is Like a Dragon the better option? Which game are you most hyped for? Let us know below!