Background

7 Stranger Than Heaven pages in Background.

• DevelopmentStranger Than Heaven was in development at RGG Studio for 6 to 7 years, began as a planned trilogy, was revealed as Project Century in December 2024 and renamed in June 2025, and uses no generative AI, according to RGG Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama.
• Is Stranger Than Heaven a Yakuza Game?Stranger Than Heaven is set in the same fictional world as Like a Dragon (Yakuza), shows the founding of the Tojo Clan and ends in Kamurocho, but RGG Studio says it is a new title, not a series entry. The press often calls it a prequel.
• Like a Dragon Games in OrderThe Like a Dragon (Yakuza) games in release order, from Yakuza (2005) to Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties (2026), with the Judgment spin-offs; Stranger Than Heaven, out Jan 15, 2027, is RGG Studio's next game, set in the same world but not a numbered entry.
• Masayoshi YokoyamaMasayoshi Yokoyama is the head of RGG Studio and the executive director of Stranger Than Heaven, a longtime writer of the Like a Dragon (Yakuza) series who took over the studio in October 2021. The game's director is Mikinobu Abe.
• Netflix MovieSEGA and Netflix announced a live-action Stranger Than Heaven film on Sep 14, 2026, produced by SEGA head producer Toru Nakahara. As of Nov 3, 2026 no director, writer, cast or release date has been named.
• RGG StudioStranger Than Heaven is made by RGG Studio (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio), SEGA's in-house team behind Like a Dragon (Yakuza) and Judgment, led since October 2021 by Masayoshi Yokoyama. SEGA publishes it on Jan 15, 2027.
• Wishlists and PopularityStranger Than Heaven passed 1 million wishlists across all platforms in early September 2026, which SEGA calls RGG Studio's most wishlisted title of all time before launch. SEGA also names it a flagship release for its fiscal year to March 2027.

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