The Yakuza Devs Are Stunting On The Entire Gaming Industry

We here at Kotaku get plenty of tips via email. Some are spam, others are error-filled hate messages, and a few are serious allegations that require serious investigation. So it’s refreshing when something comes in that just points us toward something breezy and cool, as was the case with a recent tip regarding the slay-the-house-down-boots fashion of the Like A Dragon: Ishin! developers, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.

A development subdivision of Sega whose roots trace back to 1998, Ryu Ga Gotoku (“RGG”) is a Japanese studio responsible for the 2012 third-person shooter Binary Domain. However, you’re probably more familiar with RGG’s most prominent work, the Yakuza series. Since 2012, RGG has been in charge of the action-adventure franchise, developing new mainline entries and remastering old ones while putting together spin-offs such as the Judgment series and the latest remake, Like A Dragon: Ishin!

It’s that latter game, which was originally a 2014 Japan-only release before making its worldwide debut earlier this week, that was the topic of the tips email we got this week. Enamored with senior editor Alyssa Mercante’s “fashion callout” of The Game Awards’ bland drip, the reader (whose name we’ve decided to keep hidden) said we should check out this making-of Like A Dragon video to see some “cool suits.”

Read More: The Best Fits At The Game Awards 2022

“I loved The Game Awards fashion callout and follow-up article and 40 seconds into this video about Ryu Ga Gotoku making the next Like A Dragon game there is an amazing staff promo photo,” the reader said in an email to Kotaku. “I guess if you’re in charge of the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series, you’re basically obligated to wear a cool suit.” And they ain’t lying! RGG is literally stunting over the entire industry in one shot.

In the first episode of a multi-part series on Sega Asia’s English YouTube channel, we get a quick glance at RGG’s fashion sense. Japanese fashion is pretty captivating if you follow it. Filled with flowy silhouettes, wild colors and patterns, and an interesting blend of casual and smart aesthetics, folks in the Land of the Rising Sun know how to dress. RGG is no exception. Sure, the suits the developers wear about 40 seconds into the above video are all black, but the nuance is in the details. Two staffers have jackets with interesting markings: one with a variety of white dots and another with copious small crosses. A different staffer has a coat with tastefully accenting white lines. Three other staffers have all-over patterns, with two of the staffers’ suits having a nice sheen. If you told me this was an alternative J-Rock band and not a bunch of video game developers, I’d believe you.

Even the developers’ boots, while nondescript on the surface, really add to the developers’ collective drip. Most in the photo have round pointed-toe, glossy-looking boots with no laces like they all just stepped off the set of The Matrix or something. Two others mix things up a little bit, with one staffer having what appears to be round lace-up boots a la Dr. Martens (though maybe not that exact brand) and another seemingly wearing some very dark, perhaps suede-looking boots. Either way, RGG’s fits are on point! I may not be the fashionista that Kotaku’s Alyssa Mercante is, but I, too, am gagging over the confident simplicity RGG exudes in their almost-matching looks. It’s dope to see, especially in an industry known for some of the most predictable (graphic-tee-and-blazer) outfit combos ever.

Read More: Like A Dragon: Ishin!: The Kotaku Review

Anyway, shout out to RGG for slaying the entire industry in a matter of seconds with both their killer fashion and their even more-killer samurai game, Like A Dragon: Ishin! In fact, staff writer Sisi Jiang called it “the best samurai game that you can play right now.” You should check it out.