Based on a recent leak, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii could be one of many smaller "Gaiden" titles for the series, with these games being intermediaries for the mainline entries. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio surprised fans earlier this September with the reveal of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a brand-new spin-off that stars Goro Majima as its protagonist. Finding himself with amnesia and in the middle of a pirate feud, in true Majima fashion, he becomes a pirate lord himself and recruits his own crew.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's premise is similar to Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, where it returns to the series' roots with traditional arcade action beat-em-up gameplay rather than the turn-based JRPG style used since Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The game's title in Japanese even denotes it as a gaiden game, where it is called Ryū Ga Gotoku 8 Gaiden - Pairētsu in Hawai, or Like a Dragon 8 Side Story: Pirates in Hawaii. If rumors are to be believed, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii won't be the only Gaiden title in the future.
The new Yakuza game features yet...