Yakuzafans really aren’t happy thatxQcwas chosen to show offLike A Dragon: Infinite Wealthbefore its launch, with many pointing out his lack of interest and familiarity with the series.
We’re just one week away from the long-awaited release of the eighth mainline Like A Dragon game, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and it’s shaping up to be the biggest game in the series so far. Not just in terms of content, either, as it seems that, just like with the last mainline Yakuza game, Sega is really going all-in on the marketing and trying to reach casual players.
This has resulted in some pretty surprising marketing so far,like having comedian Druski star in one of the game’s TV spots. Some Yakuza fans were surprised to see so many attempts at making Like A Dragon mainstream, but the latest one seems to have really struck a nerve with the community.
In an unusual move,the official RGG Studio Twitter account shared the other day that one of Twitch’s biggest streamers, xQc, would beshowing off the first few hours of Infinite Wealth in a livestream. In terms of marketing, this makes some sense considering xQc’s massive audience might send a few new players to the series.
All the marketing sense in the world doesn’t mean that it has been a well-received move, however, as Yakuza fans have made it very clear that they aren’t happy with xQc being picked to show off the game. The comments underneath the Twitter post announcing the livestream are full of fans calling out Sega for choosing someonewho doesn’t have much experience with the series and isn’t interested in the games.
“I love yall, but XQC? Who doesn’t play these types of games, and went on record before saying these games are trash? Come on now. I guess a reach to a new type of audience.”
To make matters worse, xQc made it pretty clear during his stream that he had no idea what the game was about,like in this clip shared by Twitter user tamoorh that points out that he wasn’t even aware that it was a turn-based game.Other fans have expressed annoyance that “some of the most passionate Yakuza content creators” haven’t been given early copies of the game, while someone who has no interest is being paid to stream it.
While Sega’s attempts to make Like A Dragon into one of gaming’s biggest series are usually appreciated by the Yakuza community so more people can experience Kiryu and Ichi’s stories, it seems that this move is just one step too far for most fans.
