Like a Dragon / Yakuza is very popular in Japan; RGG Studio's consistent release schedule—combined with the cultural relevance of the series in Japan—has made Yakuza a household brand in RGG's domestic market. The series is popular among international fans, too. In fact, reports in June suggested that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was selling more copies internationally than in Japan.
Despite this, RGG Studio doesn't believe the series has reached the global mainstream yet. As revealed in an interview with Automaton, the studio's entire marketing strategy hinges on the series' low name recognition abroad and high name recognition in Japan.
In response to the strong international sales of Yakuza 0 on Steam, director and executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama gave his thoughts on the series' positioning in the Western market.
"I still think it's mainly people who already like or understand Japanese games who are picking it up," Yokoyama says. "That said, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii actually sold very well in Europe, which was completely different from past trends."
There are no official sales statistics for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, though publisher Sega revealed the game was "selling well" shortly after release. That...
