STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, a brand-new action-adventure game by SEGA and Yakuza developer RGG Studio, is set to release on January 15, 2027.
The title follows Makoto Daito and Yu Shinjo – two outcasts of mixed Japanese and American descent. Faced with racial discrimination and with no family to rely on, the two find themselves stranded in Japan. The story follows their struggle to survive over 50 turbulent years beginning in 1915.
In a joint media interview attended by AUTOMATON, RGG Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama shared some details about STRANGER THAN HEAVEN and the ideas behind its development. Of note, he talked about what players can expect in terms of the game’s scale and portrayal of different historical periods and locations across Japan.
When it comes to volume, STRANGER THAN HEAVEN will be pretty massive, according to Yokoyama. Given the concept of “depicting five decades of a person’s life” the title was actually envisioned as a trilogy at first. However, not wanting to fragment the experience and make players wait in between releases, RGG Studio decided to make it one game, resulting in a “huge” main story that’s 6-7 years in the making. On the other hand, given the title’s historical setting, there will not be as many minigames as there are in the Like a Dragon series, and substories will take a somewhat different direction.
In terms of map size, STRANGER THAN HEAVEN will be of a scale comparable to the Like a Dragon series. The story will travel linearly from: Kokura in 1915, Kure (Hiroshima) in 1929, Osaka in 1943, Atami in 1951, and Shinjuku in 1965, with each map varying in size. Of note, the game will have more buildings with fully accessible interiors than Yakuza games have, albeit the historical setting means fewer tall buildings. With all these factors taken into account, Yokoyama believes the overall scale is roughly the same.
On that note, Yokoyama cautions not to expect exact, historically accurate recreations of each city and era appearing in STRANGER THAN HEAVEN. “As a development team, we’ve always focused on creating original spaces that are optimal for gameplay. What we’re prioritizing is telling convincing (or “game-like”) lies. Historical materials serve only as reference points for development.”
As one such example, Yokoyama says players will find Hotel New Akao when visiting Atami in 1951 in-game, even though the hotel didn’t open until 1954. “Since this is ultimately a work of fiction, I hope players will forgive us if they notice that certain elements don’t quite line up with the exact historical period they appear in.” Additionally, real-life historical incidents from corresponding eras will not be depicted in the story unless they have a direct connection to protagonist Daito. “We have been very deliberate in presenting the story as an original world that is not bound by historical fact,” Yokoyama says.
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN is set to release on January 15, 2027 for PC (Steam), Xbox Series X❘S and PlayStation 5. The title will also be coming to Xbox Game Pass.
