Sega files Yakuza Wars trademark but is it connected to Like A Dragon?

While gaming has its fair share of overly complicated franchises, Sega’s Yakuza series (now Like A Dragon) has a way to go before it rivals the likes of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts in terms of needless confusion.

It’s not doing bad though, as the series dropped its ‘Yakuza’ name in the West, in favour of Like A Dragon (a very literal translation of the original Japanese title) from the seventh mainline instalment. Every game since has abandoned the Yakuza title – including Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Like A Dragon: Ishin, and Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

A new trademark filed by Sega has now thrown a potential spanner in the works, as it revives the Yakuza name for what could be a new Like A Dragon spin-off.

As spotted by Gematsu, the trademark for ‘Yakuza Wars’ was filed by Sega in Japan on July 26 but it was made public on August 4.

While it’s unclear if it is related to Ryu Ga Gotoku’s Like A Dragon series, it’s hard to imagine what else it could be. The upcoming Amazon TV adaptation is also titled Like A Dragon: Yakuza, so the name is still affiliated with the franchise in some capacity.

If it is a subtitle for another Like A Dragon game, it raises the question of what the gameplay could involve. Some have speculated it could be a real-time strategy game, akin to Halo Wars, or a Dynasty Warriors-style musou game, which would certainly fit the tone of the series.

In Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life, there was a mini-game called Clan Creator, where you recruit and control a group of units in various battles against other gangs, in what was essentially a riff on a tower defence game. Based on the Yakuza Wars title, it’s possible it could be some sort of expansion on that concept.

In slightly more wild speculation, some have said it could be connected to Sega’s Sakura Wars series instead. Sakura Wars has grown to become a huge franchise beyond games, but it’s popularity is mostly restricted to Japan.

Ryu Ga Gotoku studio previously teased it would have some ‘Yakuza goods’ at the Tokyo Game Show in September, so there’s a good chance we’ll find out what the trademark is then.

Last month, the team said fans would be ‘surprised’ by its next game, which makes it sound even more like it’s a spin-off which swerves into a new genre.

The Like A Dragon series has had many spin-offs over the years, but only a few of them have shaken up the core gameplay in any significant way. The most famous is perhaps Yakuza: Dead Souls – a third person shooter set in a zombie outbreak, which released on the PlayStation 3.