Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
| |
| Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio | |
| Type | Division of Sega |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 1998 (Sega AM11) May 1999 (Sega Software R&D 4) April 21, 2000 (Amusement Vision) April 1, 2005 (NE R&D Dept.) May 1, 2008 (Sega CS1) August 31, 2011 (Ryu ga Gotoku Studio) |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
| Key people | Masayoshi Yokoyama, manager |
| Industry | Video games |
| Products | Like a Dragon series |
| Number of people | |
| Website | http://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/ |
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (龍が如くスタジオ, "Like a Dragon Studio") is a production team within Sega.
It is a continuation of Sega CS1, which itself was a continuation of Sega AM11, Sega Software R&D Dept. 4., Amusement Vision, and New Entertainment R&D Dept.
Name
It got its name due to the fact that the staff consisted of the development team behind Ryū Ga Gotoku, which is Japanese for Like a Dragon.
Early history
Sega Amusement Machine Research and Development Department #11, commonly referred to as Sega AM #11, Sega AM11, or Sega 11, was formed in September 1998. It was managed by Toshihiro Nagoshi, who came from Sega AM2, along with many of the rest of the staff of the new division.
In May 1999, it became Sega Software Research & Development Department 4, commonly referred to as Sega Software R&D Dept. 4.
During this time, Nagoshi was called into Sega AM2 to finish the Shenmue project, which was in a state of perpetual development. For the final months of development, Nagoshi had to serve as producer and director to finish the game. Shenmue was finally released on December 29, 1999, and Nagoshi returned to run Sega Software R&D4 full-time.
Like a Dragon series
After the Sega Software R&D4 development division was spun out into Amusement Vision on April 21, 2000, Nagoshi became its president. While running Amusement Vision, he wanted to develop an open world action-adventure game that would benefit from his experience course-correcting the messy development of Shenmue.
As the game dealt with the yakuza, he brought in Hase Seishū, a Japanese author who is known for writing yakuza crime novels, to supervise the game's storyline. Together, they created the game's protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu. He was originally meant to be in his 20s, however, it was decided that it would be unrealistic for a man to be given his own yakuza family at that age. Thus, Kiryu was aged approximately ten years, and the storyline accounted for this by having him in prison during that time.
Amusement Vision became the New Entertainment R&D Department on April 1, 2005, and Like a Dragon (Ryū Ga Gotoku) was released on the eighth of December of that year. It was released outside of Asia as Yakuza.
New Entertainment R&D became Sega CS2 on May 1, 2008. On August 31, 2011, the studio was renamed Ryu ga Gotoku Studio.
In October 2021, after 32 years at Sega, Nagoshi left his position as the manager of Ryū ga Gotoku Studio to form Nagoya Studio. Masayoshi Yokoyama succeeded him in the position of manager.
Video games by Sega AM11 (1998-1999)
| Title | System | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daytona USA 2: Power Edition | Arcade | 1998 | Daytona USA 2 update emulated in Like a Dragon 8 as Sega Racing Classic 2. |
| Virtua Striker 2 Version '99 | Arcade | 1998 | Virtua Striker 2 update only released in Japan. |
| SpikeOut: Digital Battle Online | Arcade | 1998 | |
| SpikeOut: Final Edition | Arcade | 1999 | SpikeOut update emulated in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. |
Video games by Sega Software R&D Dept. 4 (1999-2000)
| Title | System | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtua Striker 2 ver. 2000 | Arcade | 1999 | Virtua Striker 2 update only released in Japan. |
| Virtua Striker 2 ver. 2000.1 | Dreamcast | 1999 | Virtua Striker 2 update. Simply named Virtua Striker 2 in North America. |
| Virtua NBA | Arcade | 2000 |
Video games by Amusement Vision (2000-2005)
| Title | System | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daytona USA 2001 | Dreamcast | 2000 | Daytona USA update. Daytona USA in North America. |
| Slashout | Arcade | 2000 | |
| Monkey Ball | Arcade | 2001 | |
| Spikers Battle | Arcade | 2001 | |
| Super Monkey Ball | GameCube | 2001 | |
| Virtua Striker 3 | Arcade | 2001 | |
| Planet Harriers | Arcade | 2002 | |
| Super Monkey Ball 2 | GameCube | 2002 | |
| Super Monkey Ball Jr. | GBA | 2003 | |
| Virtua Striker 3 Ver. 2002 | Arcade, GameCube | 2002 | Virtua Striker 3 update. Numbered 2002 in North America. |
| F-Zero AX | Arcade | 2003 | On Crycraft motion simulator as F-Zero AX Monster Ride. |
| F-Zero GX | GameCube | 2003 | |
| Super Monkey Ball | N-Gage | 2003 | |
| Super Monkey Ball Jr. | GBA | 2003 | |
| Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon | GBA | 2004 | Co-developed with Climax Entertainment. |
| Super Monkey Ball 2 Pack | GameCube | 2004 | North America-exclusive compilation of 1 and 2. |
| Spikeout: Battle Street | Xbox | 2005 | Co-developed with Dimps. |
Video games by New Entertainment R&D Dept. (2005-2008)
| Title | System | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Monkey Ball: Touch & Roll | DS | 2005 | Super Monkey Ball DS in Japan. Co-developed with Craftex. |
| Yakuza | PS2 | 2005 | Like a Dragon in Japan. |
| Yakuza 2 | PS2 | 2006 | Like a Dragon 2 in Japan. |
| Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz | Wii | 2006 | Exciting Party Gathering in Japan. Co-developed with Bauhaus Entertainment. |
| Initial D: Extreme Stage | PS3 | 2008 | Only released in Asia. Co-developed with Cavia. |
| Like a Dragon: Kenzan! | PS3 | 2008 | Only released in Asia. |
Video games by Sega CS1 (2008-2011)
| Title | System | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yakuza 3 | PS3 | 2009 | Like a Dragon 3 in Japan. |
| Black Panther: Like a Dragon New Chapter | PSP | 2010 | Only released in Japan. |
| Yakuza 4 | PS3 | 2010 | Like a Dragon 4: Successor of the Legend in Japan. |
