When Yakuza: Like A Dragon launches this fall, it won't do so simultaneously on all next-gen consoles. The sequel is coming to PS5 next year. RGG Studio revealed on Twitter that the PlayStation 5 launch date for Like A Dragon is March 2, 2021, while the launch date for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PS4 is booked for November 10, or launch day for the next-gen Xbox.
If that upsets PS5 fans, the wording of the game's current-to-next-gen upgrade path may leave some more players annoyed. It sounded as though only digital buyers on PS4 can upgrade to PS5 for free, unlike on Xbox where the game utilizes Smart Delivery and guarantees a free upgrade no matter what. Thankfully, it was soon after confirmed that physical buyers will also get the upgrade for free.
"Rise Like a Dragon on PlayStation 5 on March 2, 2021, and get a first look at in-engine footage of Yakuza: Like a Dragon on PS5 right now. Digital owners of Yakuza: Like a Dragon on PS4 can upgrade to PS5 for free at PlayStation Store immediately on the game’s PS5 release."
It's unclear whether these terms come as a result of a deal between the publisher and Microsoft or if it was the Yakuza team's own decision to launch first on Xbox. Often times, if a game can't make launch for multiple platforms, its creators will choose a platform to launch on for the time being, with later ports being planned as well. For the past generation, we've seen many games choose Xbox or PS4, with it being the case that games choosing the former often did so to come out in Game Pass.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is not expected to hit Game Pass, but the fact that the game comes out on that platform first could signal the team finds the Xbox launch to be more promising for now - if nothing else, perhaps because the Smart Delivery messaging is so appealing.
