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It looks like the slow march towards an all-digital video game future trudges on with steadily-increasing vigour, with another major release seemingly skipping a boxed release in 2023, at least in most parts of the world.
Perhaps slightly less alarming/surprising than the news that Alan Wake II would be a wholly digital release, given it’s still not got the global cut-through of other major franchises, the next entry in the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series is ditching physical sales outside of Japan – at least as far as anyone can tell.
It’s not been outright confirmed by publisher SEGA just yet, but an otherwise-innocuous tweet from developer Ryu ga Gotoku Studio has suggested as much with its wording, which tells fans that Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will be “available for download Nov 9, 2023.”
It’s not the sole piece of evidence in this virtual puzzle though, with Like a Dragon fan account KamurochoBros having already claimed last month that they’d “spoken to retailers” and were told that there would be no physical ESRB-rated (US, Canada) copy of the game.
If it holds true, it’s a decision that’s sure to upset fans who’ve continued to build up physical copies of the series’ entries over the years, although being something of a mid-point game between the seventh and eighth major entries hopefully was the deciding factor and won’t spell the end of physical releases for Like a Dragon games altogether.
You can pre-order Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his name on digital storefronts now for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC for $82.95.
SEGA and RGG Studio recently updated the game’s official website with a heap of new information on its characters, factions and overall story as well as new screenshots to por over. You can find out more about those right here.