RGG Studio is promoting Stranger Than Heaven, its new action adventure set across five eras from 1915 to 1965, ahead of a January 15, 2027 release. The studio also posted a memorial statement on its official X account after the death of voice actor Hiroshi Tsuchida, who played Kazuki in the Like a Dragon series.
RGG Studio's current work is Stranger Than Heaven, an action adventure announced for January 15, 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game spans five eras and five cities between 1915 and 1965, from Kokura to a fictional Kamurocho, and follows a 50-year story. Executive director Masayoshi Yokoyama said the title was originally planned as a trilogy before being consolidated into one game. He also said it is not a Yakuza spin-off but a new title with its own UI, systems, and tone.
The studio has rolled the game out in stages. A June 2026 media hands-on covered the limb-based combat, where each of the protagonist's limbs is assigned to a trigger button and players parry and counter attacks from specific directions. A July 23 stream was set to show the combat system live. At Tokyo Game Show 2026, the booth included a playable demo, a theater screening music videos, and a Walkthrough Museum themed around the five eras. A story trailer in October covered the first act, the Kokura chapter, and the studio said further trailers will introduce each era's cast and turning points one city at a time.
Cast details have shifted across the stories. The June announcement named Yu Shirota as protagonist Makoto Daito and Snoop Dogg as Orpheus, with Tupac credited as 2Pac among additional cast. A September character reveal named Shin Daito, played by Yu Shirota, and described Keiko Shirai, played by Ado, as a songstress in wartime Osaka. An October hands-on referred to the protagonist as Shin Daito and to Yu Mashiro, played by Dean Fujioka. The theme song is performed by Snoop Dogg, Ado, Satoshi Fujihara, and Tori Kelly.
Separately, the studio posted a memorial statement on its official X account after the death of Hiroshi Tsuchida, who played Stardust owner Kazuki in the Like a Dragon series. The studio offered condolences and prayers for his soul. Tsuchida's Kazuki appeared in the Ending Note content in Like a Dragon 8.
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A mid-October 2026 hands-on with the latest build of Stranger Than Heaven, in development at Sega's RGG Studio, covered the opening in 1915 San Francisco through the Kokura chapter. Protagonist Shin Daito, played by Yu Shirota, flees police, stows away with Yu Mashiro (Dean Fujioka) on the ship of captain Orpheus (Snoop Dogg), and lands in Kokura. The game releases January 15, 2027 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
RGG Studio posted a memorial statement on its official X account after the death of voice actor and actor Hiroshi Tsuchida, who played Stardust owner Kazuki in the Like a Dragon series. The studio offered condolences and prayers for his soul. Tsuchida's roles also included Igazu in ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON, Grisha Yeager in Attack on Titan, and NinjaBlue in Ninja Sentai Kakuranger. In Like a Dragon 8, Kazuki appeared in the Ending Note content.
Sega streamed a story trailer for STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, RGG Studio's new action adventure game, on Friday. The video covers the first act, the Kokura chapter, and shows the protagonist stowing away on the ship of the trader Orpheus to reach Japan. The game spans five eras and five cities between 1915 and 1965, from Kokura in 1915 to a fictional Kamurocho in 1965, and follows a 50-year story about people with nowhere to go. It launches on January 15, 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, and will also be available through Game Pass. Yu Shirota plays the lead, with Snoop Dogg as Orpheus, Akio Otsuka as Kokura boss Heigo Yashima, Moeka Hoshi as Tae Matsumoto, and Dean Fujioka as Yu Mashiro. Snoop Dogg, Ado, Satoshi Fujihara, and Tori Kelly perform the theme song.
Sega published details on 17 characters in STRANGER THAN HEAVEN on September 24, 2026, the company's new RGG Studio title for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The roster includes protagonist Shin Daito, played by Yu Shirota, alongside Yu Mashiro, a stowaway aboard the same ghost ship who aims for Japan and is played by Dean Fujioka. Genzo Iwaki, the great boss of Wu, is played by Bunta Sugawara with Tsuyoshi Ukaji on voice. Keiko Shirai, described in the materials as a songstress in wartime Osaka, is played by Ado. Screenshots accompanied the character information. The game is scheduled to release on January 15, 2027. The reveal followed the title's stage events at Tokyo Game Show 2026, including a Toei Company collaboration tied to Battles Without Honor and Humanity and the duet song Climb On by Yu Shirota and Dean Fujioka.
Sega showed the opening of Stranger Than Heaven during the TGS2026 Special Opening Night Live stream on September 16. The action-adventure from RGG Studio opens with a young man mistaken for a murderer and chased by police; he misses the ship he meant to board, and the escape becomes the tutorial fight. The title is set across five eras and locations from 1915 to 1965: Kokura in 1915, Kure in 1929, Osaka in 1943, Atami in 1951, and Shinjuku in 1965. Protagonist Shin Oto grows through everyday actions, with movement raising stamina and mahjong raising spirit. The stream also revealed Showbiz, a music production system where Oto works as a promoter, gathering sounds around town, writing songs with composers, hiring singers and musicians, and staging shows with effects such as smoke and confetti. Stranger Than Heaven is scheduled for January 15, 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Sega and RGG Studio announced the Tokyo Game Show 2026 exhibition details for STRANGER THAN HEAVEN during the August 5 broadcast of the joint special program Ryu ga Gotoku TV and Ryu ga Gotoku TV Free Information Center. The booth at Makuhari Messe will offer a playable demo based on the battle version shown at past media events, with adjustments and updates. A theater will screen music videos including unreleased songs, with three programs featuring characters voiced by Ado and others, requiring reservations except for some parts. The Walkthrough Museum is a hands-on exhibit themed around the five eras in the game, showing interviews with cast and developers. Stage events run all five days with guest talks and audience-participation demo play, streamed on the RGG Studio and Sega official YouTube channels. Venue novelties include original fans, neck straps, and an analog stick cover for those who confirm a reservation. A special clear card goes to visitors who show confirmation of joining the official Discord server, which launched August 5. New STRANGER THAN HEAVEN merchandise, including a logo pin badge, key visual T-shirt, and resin college ring, will be sold at the Sega/Atlus merchandise corner. The game releases January 15, 2027.
Sega and RGG Studio announced on July 17 that the 52nd episode of their official program 'Ryusta TV' will air on July 23 at 20:00 JST, featuring the first live gameplay demonstration of the upcoming title 'Stranger Than Heaven.' The stream, which will be broadcast on YouTube Live and Nico Nico Live, is set to show the game's combat system in action for the first time. A voice actor from the series, who played Chitose Fujimiya in 'Like a Dragon 8,' will handle the controller in what the studio is calling the world's fastest live stream of the game. Masayoshi Yokoyama, executive director of the title and RGG Studio representative, producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto, and MC Ayano Moriyama will also appear. 'Stranger Than Heaven' is scheduled for release on January 15, 2027, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
RGG Studio held a Japanese media hands-on event and joint interview for its new title Stranger Than Heaven, scheduled for release on January 15, 2027, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Executive director Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed that the game was originally planned as a trilogy before being consolidated into one title. The story follows half-American, half-Japanese protagonist Makoto Oto across five eras from 1915 to 1965, starting in Kokura and ending in Shinjuku. Yokoyama said the setting was chosen to explore how organized crime formed, a question left unanswered by the Yakuza series. The combat system assigns each of the protagonist's limbs to a trigger button, requiring players to parry and counter enemy attacks from specific directions. Yokoyama emphasized the game is not a Yakuza spin-off but a completely new title with its own UI, systems, and tone. The demo featured stronger enemies to teach the controls, with the final version adjusted for smoother pacing. Show business elements, where players collect sounds to produce performances, serve as the protagonist's primary means of income and social standing.
RGG Studio, the developer behind the Yakuza series, announced during the Summer Game Fest 2026 livestream on June 5 that its new title Stranger Than Heaven will launch on January 15, 2027. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store, and it will be included in Xbox Game Pass from day one. A new trailer revealed additional cast members, including American rapper Tupac (credited as 2Pac), alongside previously announced actors such as Yu Shirota as protagonist Makoto Daito and Snoop Dogg as Orpheus. The story spans 50 years across five eras and five Japanese cities: Kokura in 1915, Kure in 1929, Osaka in 1943, Atami in 1951, and the fictional Kamurocho in 1965. The narrative follows Makoto, a half-American, half-Japanese boy who stows away on a ship to Japan after losing his parents, and his encounters that shape the founding of the Tojo Clan. The game's theme song is performed by Snoop Dogg, Satoshi Fujihara, Ado, and Tori Kelly. Sega also confirmed that the late actor Bunta Sugawara appears as a character, with his family's consent and archival materials provided by Toei Company.