Gang of Dragon and developer Nagoshi Studios have been in a state of crisis ever since the game was announced at The Game Awards last year. That's because publisher NetEase suddenly pulled the game's funding, leaving Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi in limbo and looking for a reported $45 million to actually finish the game.
Ever since, things have looked bleak. First, the studio's YouTube channel and the game's reveal trailer were wiped from the internet, before the official Nagoshi Studios website became inaccessible. Throughout all of this, we've heard nothing from the studio itself to calm down fans who think the studio is toast. And now, it sounds like the final nail has been well and truly pounded into the coffin.
In the latest episode of the VGC Podcast, reporter Andy Robinson touches on how much NetEase has been pulling out of the international games industry recently, which includes leaving Nagoshi Studios in limbo. According to Robinson, despite there being no official confirmation from the developer itself, Nagoshi Studios is effectively "gone."
"Nagoshi Studio, it's not been announced, but that's gone," says Robinson. "I heard stories of [Toshihiro Nagoshi] even applying at other studios recently, so I think it's fair...
