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Destructoid
Destructoid
Andrej Barovic

NetEase cuts funding for Yakuza creator’s new game as the studio anticipates ‘impending closure’

Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi has been working on a spiritual successor to that franchise, Gang of Dragon, with Korean actor Don Lee. It was unveiled at the 2025 Game Awards ceremony, and its flashy cinematics and guttural gameplay seemed promising. However, there is a strong chance the game will never come out, as publisher NetEase has officially cut funding for the project.

This comes as Nagoshi Studio reportedly asked for budget expansions and an additional $44.4 million to complete the game, Bloomberg writes. NetEase notified Nagoshi Studio's staff of the decision yesterday, March 6, and confirmed to Bloomberg that it would indeed cut its support for Gang of Dragon as of May.

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