The first images of the upcoming Yakuza 8 title have appeared online. A few in-development screenshots of the game have been leaked in a behind-the-scenes video from developer Ryo Ga Gotoku Studio. Sneak peeks reveal returning characters from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, including Ichiban Kasuga, who appears to have his hair tied back instead of the iconic afro. It also looks like Mirai Asakura (MMA fighter/YouTuber) will star in Yakuza 8 – though there’s no word on whether he’s a playable character.

The Japanese martial artist recorded his visit to Sega’s offices, where he could be seen pulling off weird facial expressions while surrounded by a bunch of cameras. Throughout the tour, we’re treated to small clips and images of Yakuza 8 as they appear on the developer’s monitors. In addition to former Yakuza Ichiban, Koichi Adachi and Yu Nanba will return in the final episode.

Yakuza 8 is reportedly set in a new city, with MMA fighter Asakura playing a part in the game. turn-based where they can control the aforementioned characters in combat sequences and high-octane, over-the-top dialogue. Additionally, director Masayoshi Yokoyama has confirmed that the new game is a direct sequel, set a few years after the events of Yakuza 7 – further explaining the recurring characters.

Last January, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi left Sega to announce his own development studio with NetEase. The company bears his name and consists of 7 key members, all of whom were previously part of the Japanese multinational video game company. The studio will focus on developing high-quality console titles that will be released worldwide.

“I decided to leave Sega, where I worked for a long time because I wanted to do something different than before. If you do the same, you can stay at Sega,” he said in an interview. with Famitsu.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has added the first 3 Yakuza games – Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 to its Xbox Game Pass catalog for July. All three games are available to play on PC, console, and cloud, after a brief absence from the service.