Controversial Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Sets New Series Steam Record

The Ultimate Edition's impact on gameplay is significant if unfair. Hundreds of upgrade items automatically added to a player's inventories early in the game can lead to imbalance, allowing characters to become overpowered too quickly. This has caused concern among players who wish to experience the game's intended progression and challenges. On the other hand, standard edition player start the game with a more traditional progression path, gradually building their characters' abilities.

The success of Infinite Wealth on Steam is a testament to the growing popularity of the Yakuza series, which was once struggling in the western market. The turnaround for the franchise began with the release of Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which introduced new audiences to the series. Infinite Wealth takes the series outside Japan for the first time, offering the largest map in the series' history and a mix of crime drama and quirky side content, including a mini-game reminiscent of Pokémon.

However, the game's success comes amid broader industry trends marked by high expectations and significant financial risks. The industry is currently experiencing a phase where the commercially successful titles have to achieve record-breaking player numbers otherwise risk suffering from substantial financial losses. This dichotomy is evident in Sega's recent experiences, contrasting the success of Infinite Wealth with the failure of other projects like Hyenas.

Nevertheless, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's success, especially on Steam, remains noteworthy. The franchise was struggling just a few years ago. This time, the latest entry is one of the most-played games on Steam.

It remains to be seen what else RGG has planned for Yakuza but it's clear the franchise still has a bright future ahead.