Like a Dragon fans got a bit of a surprise during the October 2024 Xbox Partner Preview on Thursday, as a new trailer for the next game in the series, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, revealed a new release date, albeit a good one. It will now be releasing on February 21, 2025, one week earlier than previously planned.
In a follow-up video released after the presentation, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama said that they convinced publisher Sega to push the release date up so players could “play the game that comes after it, with peace of mind.” While he didn’t outright say what this other game is, it’s most likely Monster Hunter Wilds based on a later comment.
“If you are interested in pirates, but aren’t familiar with the series overall, please have a go! After that, I hope you’ll also enjoy hunting at your own pace,” Yokoyama said.
Of course, RGG Studio wouldn’t release the game unless it was ready (at least, we hope so). Yokoyama added that the teams were able to adjust the launch date “because development is progressing more smoothly than expected.”
“We also want to deliver the game to players around the world as soon as possible,” Yokoyama said.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes place after Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, part of the Yakuza series’ spinoff franchise. Fan-favorite Goro Majima is the lead here, although he has amnesia and now has to battle pirate yakuza. This involves both close-quarters combat and naval battles. The Xbox Partner Preview trailer also revealed ways you could customize your ship, and showed off those naval battles in action for the first time. If previews are any indication, it’s bound to be a ridiculous, over-the-top joyride.
The game was originally revealed for a February 28. 2025 launch. However, just a few days after that announcement, we got the September 2024 State of Play, which revealed Monster Hunter Wilds would be coming out on the same day. The last game in Capcom’s long-running combat series was Monster Hunter: World in 2018, although there have been spinoffs, DLC, and updates to tide players over during the wait for a sequel.
