Toshihiro Nagoshi, the creator of the Yakuza franchise, has officially left Sega after 32 years at the company.
The announcement came today (October 8) via a statement from RGG Studio, which is transitioning with a new structure and new leadership.
“As of today, a new Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is born where the series will live on,” Nagoshi said in his departing statement. “Though I don’t know for sure what they will create, I believe the new generation will further enhance the foundation we built over the years and deliver great games to the world. To achieve that, they too need to continue to learn, challenge themselves, and grow. I ask that you continue your support of the studio’s endeavours.”
As 2021 marks RGG Studio's 10th anniversary, we look forward to new beginnings.
Please see the link below for a message from the RGG Studio team about staff changes and our exciting future.https://t.co/vUtvHzl7F3#RGGStudio pic.twitter.com/fIOxYOLIWX
— RGG Studio (@RGGStudio) October 8, 2021
Having been with Sega since 1989, Nagoshi is one of the last veteran developers at the Japanese company, responsible for pioneering games like Virtua Racing and Super Monkey Ball, although his most successful creation has been the Yakuza series, first released in 2005 in Japan, which has resulted in multiple entries and spin-offs, including legal detective thriller Lost Judgment.
While Nagoshi has not announced where he is heading next, it was reported in August that he was in “final negotiations” to join Chinese company NetEase, who specialise in online and games.
