Development

Stranger Than Heaven has been in development at RGG Studio for 6 to 7 years and was first planned as a trilogy before it became one game, according to studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama in a June 2026 interview. It was revealed at The Game Awards in December 2024 under the tentative name Project Century, got its title at Summer Game Fest in June 2025, and was dated for Jan 15, 2027 at Summer Game Fest 2026. RGG says it uses no generative AI, including for Tupac Shakur's character.

Quick facts

Sources: AUTOMATON, Jun 23, 2026; GamesRadar+, Dec 13, 2024; SEGA, Jun 7, 2025; SEGA, Jun 8, 2026; PCGamesN, Jun 11, 2026.

What was Project Century?

0:11 Project Century was Stranger Than Heaven's working name. RGG Studio showed it with a trailer set in 1915 Japan at The Game Awards on Dec 12, 2024, alongside a new Virtua Fighter project. AUTOMATON reported that the footage was pre-alpha and the title tentative. At Summer Game Fest 2025 SEGA confirmed Stranger Than Heaven as the name of the new IP formerly known as Project Century, with a teaser that showed 1943 as well as 1915. The clip is the Project Century trailer from The Game Awards 2024, marked as pre-alpha footage, with 1915 on screen.

Was Stranger Than Heaven a trilogy?

It was planned as one. Yokoyama told Denfaminico Gamer that the game was conceived as a trilogy and then packed into a single game whose main story he called "quite massive", after 6 to 7 years of development. That makes it one of the studio's longest projects; no length in hours has been announced as of Nov 3, 2026. At TGS 2026 the team spoke about making long games in an "era of time-efficiency".

Where the idea came from

0:21 Director Mikinobu Abe said the starting point was a question the team had while making Yakuza games: who would create an organization like the Tojo Clan or the Omi Alliance, and why. The founder was first written as Japanese; his mixed heritage was added to give him a strong motive, and that became Makoto Daito. TechRadar headlined Abe's account as RGG having intentionally forgotten about Yakuza to start every aspect from scratch. See Makoto Daito and Tojo Clan. In the clip, from SEGA's Gamescom 2026 developer interview, a developer says in Japanese that the team had long wanted to tell how the series' yakuza organizations came to be, from 1915 on.

"Convincing lies": history in the game

2:36 RGG does not aim for period accuracy. Yokoyama said the team prioritizes "convincing lies" and that historical materials serve only as reference points. His example: Hotel New Akao appears in the 1951 Atami chapter although the real hotel opened in 1954. Real incidents appear only where they touch Makoto directly. Abe told IGN the anachronisms are on purpose. See Five Eras and Cities. In the clip Abe tells IGN at Gamescom 2026 that nobody knows what 1915 Kokura was like, so the team reimagined each era as "realism fiction."

How dense are the cities?

8:46 Producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto told Inven Global that the level design density for each location is the most detailed RGG has made. In the October 2026 preview build, Game Rant found that in one era almost every building could be entered. In the clip Abe tells IGN the maps are close in size to RGG's earlier games but denser, with many buildings to enter.

Does Stranger Than Heaven use AI?

No, says RGG. Yokoyama confirmed in June 2026 that there is no generative AI in the game at all, and that the studio has no immediate plan to use it, though he thought games on the scale of GTA 6 might push publishers to consider it. For Tupac Shakur's character Amaru, SEGA said RGG works with his estate without the use of AI, from archival footage and photographs, and Sakamoto said at Gamescom that no AI whatsoever was involved. Bunta Sugawara's Genzo Iwaki was made the same way, in CG from archival material with his family's consent. See Tupac Shakur as Amaru and Genzo Iwaki.

Did the combat change during development?

5:46 Yes. Abe told IGN that RGG reworked the combat after feedback on the earlier demos, and IGN's Michael Higham, unsure after Summer Game Fest, called the October build a complete turnaround. See Combat and Previews. The clip is IGN's Oct 21, 2026 preview of the three-hour pre-release build.

Who works on it?

Yokoyama (studio head, executive director), Mikinobu Abe (director), Hiroyuki Sakamoto (producer) and Ryosuke Horii (chief director) lead it; SEGA's TGS interview videos also name the art director, associate director, production manager, lead programmer and lead designer. The table is on RGG Studio. RGG's programmers work in one team across titles, so the game shared staff with the Yakuza ports and remakes of 2025 and 2026. No composer or engine has been named.

Every official showing

Sources: GamesRadar+, Dec 13, 2024; Game Informer, Jun 6, 2025; GamesRadar+, updated Aug 24, 2026; Xbox Wire, May 6, 2026; SEGA, Jun 5, 2026; Final Weapon, Aug 28, 2026; RPG Site, Sep 13, 2026; Anime News Network, Sep 16, 2026; SEGA via Sakura Index, Aug 29, 2026; Bleeding Cool, Sep 19, 2026; Worthplaying, Sep 25, 2026; SEGA on Steam, Sep 26, 2026; SEGA on Steam, Sep 29, 2026; RPG Site, Oct 12, 2026; SEGA on Steam, Oct 21, 2026; SEGA on Steam, Oct 23, 2026.

The March 2026 Xbox Partner Preview showing rests on GamesRadar+ alone. How the release date itself moved is on Release Date and Launch Time.

Frequently asked questions

How long has Stranger Than Heaven been in development? 6 to 7 years, Masayoshi Yokoyama said in June 2026, which puts the start of Stranger Than Heaven around 2019 or 2020, well before its December 2024 reveal as Project Century.

What was Stranger Than Heaven called before? Project Century, a tentative title used at The Game Awards 2024. SEGA renamed it Stranger Than Heaven at Summer Game Fest in June 2025.

Was Stranger Than Heaven supposed to be a trilogy? Yes. Yokoyama said Stranger Than Heaven was first planned as a trilogy and became a single game with a very large main story.

Does Stranger Than Heaven use generative AI? No. Yokoyama said there is no generative AI in Stranger Than Heaven at all, and SEGA said Tupac's character Amaru was built without AI from archival footage and photographs.

What engine does Stranger Than Heaven use? Not announced as of Nov 3, 2026. RGG Studio has its own Dragon Engine, but no source has said Stranger Than Heaven runs on it.

Sources

• Like a Dragon studio RGG reveals its first new IP in 6 years, GamesRadar+, Dec 13, 2024
• Like a Dragon's RGG Studio is working on new game Project Century, set in 1915 Japan, AUTOMATON, Dec 13, 2024
• RGG Studio's Project Century formally unveiled as Stranger Than Heaven, Game Informer, Jun 6, 2025
• SEGA CONFIRMS "STRANGER THAN HEAVEN" AS BRAND-NEW TITLE FROM RYU GA GOTOKU STUDIO, SEGA, Jun 7, 2025
• Like a Dragon's devs get spooked looks from industry peers when they say they juggle up to 3-4 titles simultaneously with one team, AUTOMATON, Aug 4, 2025
• Xbox Presents: A Special Look at Stranger Than Heaven, Everything We Learned, Xbox Wire, May 6, 2026
• TUPAC SHAKUR JOINS SEGA'S "STRANGER THAN HEAVEN", SEGA, Jun 5, 2026
• STRANGER THAN HEAVEN release announcement, SEGA, Jun 8, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven director says GTA 6 may force devs to use generative AI, PCGamesN, Jun 11, 2026
• STRANGER THAN HEAVEN's massive 50-year saga intentionally prioritizes "convincing lies" over historical accuracy, AUTOMATON, Jun 23, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven was originally planned as a trilogy, RPG Site, Jun 23, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven: Everything we know, GamesRadar+, updated Aug 24, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven TGS 2026 Onstage Guest Lineup Revealed, SEGA via Sakura Index, Aug 29, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven Gamescom Demo Walkthrough and Yokoyama Interview Released, Final Weapon, Aug 28, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven's explorable cities offer the highest density in RGG Studio's history, devs say, AUTOMATON, Aug 31, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven dev says it isn't using AI to bring back Tupac, PCGamesN, Sep 4, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven introduces Makoto Daito and Yu Shinjo in new character trailers, RPG Site, Sep 13, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven Game's Video Previews Opening, Showbiz, Combat, Anime News Network, Sep 16, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven Drops Bunta Sugawara-Inspired Film Trailer, Bleeding Cool, Sep 19, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven Reveals New Info On Key Characters And Show Business Theme, Worthplaying, Sep 25, 2026
• Check Out a Deep Dive on the Showbiz Mechanic, SEGA on Steam, Sep 26, 2026
• 1915, Kokura - An In-Depth Look, SEGA on Steam, Sep 29, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven developers talk about breaking away from action game conventions, why it isn't a Like a Dragon entry, AUTOMATON, Sep 29, 2026
• Sega shares five Stranger Than Heaven Developer Interview videos, RPG Site, Oct 12, 2026
• Watch the Act I: Kokura Story Trailer, SEGA on Steam, Oct 21, 2026
• One Man's Story Of Biculturalism, Music, Fitting In, And Fighting, Game Informer, Oct 21, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven: The Final Preview, IGN, Oct 21, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven Hands-On Preview, Game Rant, Oct 21, 2026
• Preview Coverage Is In - See What Critics Are Saying, SEGA on Steam, Oct 23, 2026
• Stranger Than Heaven director says RGG intentionally forgot about Yakuza to create something new, TechRadar
• Project Century World Premiere Trailer from The Game Awards 2024, thegameawards, Dec 13, 2024 (video)
• STRANGER THAN HEAVEN Developer Interview | gamescom 2026, SEGA, Oct 19, 2026 (video)
• How Stranger Than Heaven's Brutal Combat Borrows From Classic Yakuza Cinema | gamescom2026, IGN, Aug 29, 2026 (video)
• Stranger Than Heaven Finally Won Me Over | Extended Hands-On Preview, IGN, Oct 21, 2026 (video)