Like a Dragon director says studio fights are ‘welcome’ because they make games better

The series director of the Like a Dragon / Yakuza franchise says fights among team members aren’t only part of the job, they’re welcomed.

In an interview with Automaton, series director Ryosuke Horii was asked if developers at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio ever fight among each other.

Horii said they did, but stressed that this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as they were kept under control.

“For example, if a designer and a programmer are quarreling, it is the planner’s job to intercede,” he explained.

“After all, if there are no arguments nor discussions, you can expect no more than a lukewarm final product. Therefore, fights are always welcome.

“But obviously, fighting is meaningless if it doesn’t result in a fruitful conclusion, so it is up to the planner to lead everyone in the right direction. It’s all about having healthy and productive fights.”

Horii added that the studio’s teams tend to “fight to the same beat” instead of dancing to it, but that such in-fighting is a good thing because it’s done with the intention of making the game as good as it can be.

“We accept opinions based on how good they are, not based on which team suggested them,” Horii said. “On the other hand, we also make sure to ‘mercilessly’ shut down poor ideas, so it boils down to having debates and ‘battles’ in the interest of making a good game.”

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is set to hold an online presentation next month, where it’s hoped that the studio will announce its next major project.

The studio’s most recent Like a Dragon game, Infinite Wealth, recevied a Metacritic score of 89 and shipped one million copies in its first week.