Subscription services in the entertainment industry serve a very important role. Not only do they offer audiences an inexpensive alternative to a wide variety of content, but they also offer creators a means to market new content without breaking the bank. Game Pass has been perfect for most video game franchises, but not every game needs the exposure. Case in point, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
According to TweakTown, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will not be coming to Game Pass, at least not at launch. This news was revealed by Masayoshi Yokoyama, the head of developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Earlier this year, a remake of the 2014 title Like a Dragon: Ishin! was launched on Game Pass, and last month, a new spin-off of the series, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, also made its way to Game Pass.
Given this, many expected Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth to land on the Xbox subscription service. In the interview with Automation Media, Yokoyama explained the decision to exclude the upcoming title from Game Pass, stating: “This is connected to what I mentioned earlier, but for Gaiden, I thought of Game Pass as a way of “handing overseas users our business card” – in other words, letting players new to the series enjoy the game and get to know Kiryu. Game Pass proved to be a very good method to invite new users to interact with the series.”
As the next mainline installment in the Like a Dragon series, Infinite Wealth will be the first SEGA title to be priced at $69.99. What’s interesting is that this is part of a recent trend among major publishers, including SEGA and Capcom, to raise the price of their flagship titles. SEGA has previously capitalized on the popularity of Game Pass to promote its games, using the Xbox platform as a marketing tool to introduce new players to lesser-known franchises.
However, unlike this year’s Like a Dragon games, Infinite Wealth will have to chart a different course since it can’t rely on the same strategy. Being the first full-priced SEGA game worth $70 and also the longest game in the franchise, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio will be hoping that it has gathered enough goodwill from fans to get them to pay.
Game Pass and other subscription services have a history of cannibalizing sales. It’s the very reason why Microsoft is not adding Call of Duty to Game Pass, despite its recent purchase of Activision. Until subscription services turn profitable for publishers, most popular franchises will remain full-priced.
Taking place in Hawaii, the first overseas setting in the series, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will follow the series’ protagonists, Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu. Kasuga will be on a personal quest to find and reunite with his mother, while Kiryu will be struggling with his recent cancer diagnosis that is about to cut his life short.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is scheduled to be released on January 26 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
