Image via Ryu Ga Gotoku/Sega.
The newly released Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has drawn in quadruple the amount of Steam players compared to previous entries in the series.
Per SteamDB, Ryu Ga Gotoku’s new RPG hit a peak of over 46,000 players in its launch weekend. Within a 24-hour period, it saw almost 39,600 players.
To compare, 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon debuted at 9,500 players. 2023’s Like a Dragon: Ishin! and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man with No Name respectively opened at over 13,700 and 8,400 players.
Infinite Wealth’s global appeal
Why the boost for Infinite Wealth? The franchise’s growing western popularity, partially spurred by a name change helps, as does its late January release window.
But Infinite Wealth also benefits from its two central figures. Original series lead Kazuma Kiryu crosses paths with Yakuza 7 lead Ichiban Kasuga, and the crossover appeal is a strong enough draw on its own.
Sega has yet to provide hard sales numbers for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. But it seems the franchise is in a good spot worldwide, since the developer’s considering making it into a transmedia brand.
About the Author(s)
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him about how much gum he’s had, because the answer will be more than he’s willing to admit.
