In 2021, Yakuza franchise creator Toshihiro Nagoshi founded the titular Nagoshi Studio to work on spiritual successor Gang of Dragon, starring famed South Korean-American actor Ma Dong-seok, best known for his performances in Train to Busan and Marvel's Eternals.
While there's been plenty of buzz around the game since its 2025 TGA reveal in December, NetEase plans to cut funding to the studio in May, throwing the project into jeopardy.
Bloomberg reports that employees at Nagoshi Studio were told of the decision on Friday after NetEase discovered that the project would require an additional ¥7 billion (roughly $44.4 million) to finish development.
NetEase has reportedly informed Nagoshi Studio that it's free to continue development on its own, but it must pay to keep the assets and brand. As such, the team is now reportedly looking for new sponsors to fund Gang of Dragon, while also holding talks with NetEase over what has already been developed.
However, the team has allegedly found no success thus far in funding the last leg of development, and NetEase has not publicly disclosed what the exit terms are for Nagoshi Studio, casting doubts on Gang of Dragon's future.
Nagoshi Studio is far from...
