Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the eighth mainline entry in the acclaimed Yakuza series, has soared to unprecedented heights with its recent launch on Steam. The game, released on January 26, has shattered previous franchise records, boasting a peak concurrent player count of 46,161 during its launch weekend, as reported by SteamDB.
This milestone marks a significant achievement for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, surpassing the franchise’s previous peak concurrent player record on Steam. Outperforming its predecessor, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which peaked at 9,535 players, and even surpassing the spin-off Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, with 13,737 players, the fourfold increase signifies a substantial surge in the series’ overall popularity. The global multiplatform release of the game contributed to these impressive numbers, distinguishing it from titles like Yakuza 0 or Judgment, ported to Steam years after their initial PlayStation launches.
Along with this, SEGA has announced that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has reached another global milestone by selling and shipping one million units within its first 7 days, making it the fastest-selling instalment in the series. As a gesture of gratitude for the global player base, a complimentary in-game Celebratory T-shirt set will be released in the future.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth not only excelled in player numbers but also garnered rave reviews and a ‘Very Positive’ rating on Steam from over 900 user reviews. Critics, including VGC, praise it as “the series at its very best” with “excellent combat, a wonderful cast of characters, and a willingness to be incredibly weird make it [absolutely] unmissable.” However, controversy surrounds Infinite Wealth’s New Game Plus mode, available exclusively in the Deluxe and Ultimate versions, priced $15 and $40 higher, sparking frustration among fans.
In this larger-than-life RPG that depicts an explosive tale across the Pacific, protagonists Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu head to Hawaii, offering players an expansive game environment and a refreshing departure from traditional Japanese locations. It features the biggest map of the Yakuza series to date, allowing players to become a samurai, surfer, and housekeeper and maintaining the unique blend of dramatic crime drama and thrilling gameplay.
Infinite Wealth’s accomplishment reinforces Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s position in the gaming industry, establishing a streak of consecutive records for concurrent players on Steam. As the Yakuza series advances, it continues to captivate fans with its distinctive fusion of rich storytelling, immersive gameplay, fun mini-games, strategic battles and dynamic settings, promising an exciting future.
Words by Khushboo Malhotra
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