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Yakuza creator opens Nagoshi Studio with NetEase

Toshihiro Nagoshi has officially opened the studio he'll be working from with a team of Sega veterans.

TJ Denzer

January 24, 2022 7:35 AM

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Toshihiro Nagoshi surprised many when after a decades with Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku, the original creator behind the Yakuza and Monkey Ball franchises left to go pursue new opportunities with NetEase. Now, a few months later. Nagoshi has launched his new studio. Nagoshi Studio will be his operation under NetEase.

Nagoshi and NetEase unveiled the new Nagoshi Studio with the recent launch of its website, featuring a mission statement from Nagoshi himself.

It was back in October that Toshihiro Nagoshi left Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku after having been with one or both since 1990. It was rumored leading up to his exit that he would be going to work under NetEase. That said, longtime Sega producer Daisuke Sato also left with Nagoshi and appears to have joined him at Nagoshi studio, as well as several other veterans of the Sega and Yakuza staff.

With Nagoshi Studio finally opened, it will be interesting to see what Toshihiro Nagoshi and his team put together under new employment with NetEase. In the past, he opined that he would like to work on a new, challenging racing game akin to F-Zero. Time will tell what we get to see out of the new studio as they finally get to work on a new project.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.