Toshihiro Nagoshi, who served as the general director of the Yakuza series at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio before leaving Sega back in October, has announced the formation of a new studio. Aptly titled Nagoshi Games, the new venture will be backed by Chinese internet and gaming company NetEase.
The studio will be based in Tokyo, and Nagoshi has already announced the hiring of several former long-time Sega employees from various departments. In an interview with Japanese games magazine Famitsu, Nagoshi detailed his decision in leaving Sega and partnering with NetEase. He states that the independence granted by a new studio will be refreshing after the corporate oversight at Sega; Netease has emphatically promised to allow the studio to keep their creative freedom.
The change might excite fans, as both the Yakuza and Judgement series formerly overseen by Nagoshi are being spearheaded by Masayoshi Yokoyama, the director of the recent Yakuza: Like a Dragon. With both Yokoyama and Nagoshi making games, there has never been a better time to look for Yakuza-esque content within the gaming world.