Yakuza creator Nagoshi shares progress on his studio, posts music video of his face exploding

Yakuza / Like a Dragon creator Toshihiro Nagoshi has celebrated his studio’s third anniversary with a music video in which his head explodes.

The video, which can be viewed above and is titled MAKE/HUMAN, shows Nagoshi sitting down and smiling, before his face peels off and his head explodes.

As reported by GameWatch, the video was accompanied by a message from Nagoshi about the progress Nagoshi Studio has made in its first three years, though there was still no mention of the studio’s first game.

“Three years have passed since we established Nagoshi Studio,” he wrote (via machine translation). “When I think back, three years ago we started with just a few people. At that time, we didn’t even have a landline, let alone a server, and we spent all our time creating plans and looking for staff.

“It was about six months later that we gradually started to take shape as a studio. We still couldn’t see the future, but what supported us was the thoughts we had for the dreams we were going to realise, and the staff who had gathered to make those dreams a reality.

“And now, with the expansion of our floor space complete, we have become a studio where we can create games with over 80 skilled staff members.

“Although we are still a little short of the timing to release our work to the world, we continue to work hard every day. However, as the number of staff members increases and we pursue the kind of work that the times demand, we need to be prepared to accept various changes in the technology and workflow we adopt.

“Naturally, this is not an easy thing to do. However, no matter how technology and methodology change, our belief that each staff member is a person in their own right has not changed. We will continue to uphold this belief as we aim to achieve our high ideals. Thank you for your continued support.”

Further reading

Toshihiro Nagoshi interview: ‘I will not betray my fans’

The former Yakuza director talks life under NetEase, and how he's approaching his next cinematic franchise

In Nagoshi Studio’s first Western interview last year, Nagoshi told VGC that he would not let down fans of his previous games and would ensure they would be happy with his new studio’s debut game.

“Obviously, we’re not going to create something exactly the same, but I do understand there are expectations from people based more on me as a creator and my personality, so people want to see my tastes and my personality in my new games,” Nagoshi told VGC via a translator.

“Obviously, I will not betray my fans in that sense – I will create something with my personality and make a dramatic game, stuff like that – and my taste and personality will be reflected in the game. I can’t tell you exactly what genre it’ll be or what the game is going to be like, but I will not betray my fans.”