Here's why Like A Dragon: Ishin! is a big deal Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Here's why Like A Dragon: Ishin! is a big deal That's rad. News by Liv Ngan Reporter Intern Published on 14 Sep 2022 14 comments Yakuza fans have it pretty good right now. Like a Dragon 8 and a Kiryu spin-off just got announced, but most importantly of all, Ishin is getting not just a localisation, but a full remake and worldwide release. For non-Yakuza fans, it looks a bit confusing. Why are we so excited about an eight year old PS3/4 game being playable in English? To explain, we need to look back on the Yakuza series as a whole. Watch last night's announcement trailer for Like a Dragon: Ishin!. At the time of Ishin's original release in 2014, the main numbered series had reached Yakuza 5, but only in Japan. There'd been a few spin-offs released too - most notably Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! (also a Japan-only release) and Dead Souls. The Yakuza series up to this point had always fared much better in Japan than in the West. By the time Yakuza 3 released for Japan in 2009, western localisations were already being written off due to low demand and even lower results. In 2014, a samurai Yakuza spin-off was never going to see the light of day outside of Japan. The big audience that would have warranted a localisation just wasn't there. The dedicated fans who wanted to play Ishin would have to rely on importing the game or sourcing a ROM online. Even Yakuza 5, which came out in 2012 in Japan, wouldn't become available worldwide until December 2015. There were no plans to localise it at launch, and many western fans feared that Yakuza 5 would be the last they would ever see of the series. By this point Yakuza 0, the prequel that explored the history of series protagonists Kiryu and Majima, was already out in Japan, and a western release wasn't announced until July 2016. But Yakuza 0 propelled the series to forefront of western gaming. Hotly followed by Yakukza 6 and reimaginings of the series' first game in Kiwami and Kiwami 2, all of a sudden Yakuza had a western presence. Longtime fans who have wanted to play Ishin since 2014 have been hoping for years that Ishin would get a Kiwami-esque makeover, or even just an official localisation. Newer fans (like myself) have been wanting to see Ishin, too. Following the success of Ghost of Tsushima, a Yakuza game set in feudal Japan feels like it has the potential to sell really well. The Yakuza series was so close to being forgotten outside of Japan, and now we have Sega and RGG Studio committing to making all of the games accecssible to fans. They're not only bringing older games to current-gen consoles, as with the Yakuza Remastered Collection, but they're making sure Japan-only releases are getting the same love from fans also. This is something that we could only have dreamt of up until today. And now our prayers have been heard. It's been a long time for Yakuza fans, but we made it. There's really an Ishin remake. We can't meme about Ishin anymore, so... Kenzan next? Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 7 Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 7 Latest Articles Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store