Nagoshi Studio has officially shut down and its first game, Gang of Dragon, is seemingly no longer coming, months after publisher NetEase pulled funding from the Yakuza-like project.
Toshihiro Nagoshi (often cited as the creator of the acclaimed Yakuza and Like A Dragon game series) opened his new studio in 2021 and announced his next game with a very familiar title almost one year ago. Now, the Tokyo-based developer has closed its doors, as confirmed in the Japanese government gazette Kanpo.
The news comes months after employees were told that the studio’s future was at risk due to NetEase’s funding cuts. Nagoshi Studio reportedly needed another £33.1 million (about $44.4m at the time) to get Gang of Dragon past the finish line — a payout NetEase purportedly didn’t want to cough up.
The China-based Marvel Rivals and Where Winds Meet publisher has been significantly scaling back on international investments in the past few years. Visions of Mana developer Ouka Studios was shut down just after launching its gorgeous action game, Worlds Untold (a studio formed by Mass Effect veteran Mac Walters) had to pause operations to find a new partner, and Halo Infinite lead Jerry Hook’s studio also ran into very similar issues last year.
Some developers have been a little luckier. Suda51’s Grasshopper Manufacture saved itself with a management buyout and now operates as an independent developer, for one.
Not much is known about Gang of Dragon, but its debut trailer featured the violent crime and high drama you’d expect from Nagoshi’s previous work. The game also starred Ma Dong-seok, the acclaimed actor you might recognise from films such as Train to Busan and Marvel’s Eternals.
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Gang of Dragon
Sony’s Bend Studio, perhaps one of its lesser discussed development houses, has apparently been deep in development on its next title. The game is reportedly set to be announced in 2027, and released in the same year.
That’s according to MP1st, citing “people aware of what’s happening at Bend”. Like Days Gone, Bend’s next game is in third-person. The title is said to include co-op support, but no live service elements.
The report doesn’t say whether the game is based on a new IP or an existing one, but it does state that it’s not a sequel to Days Gone. The game is apparently “much further along in development” than we realise, which isn’t entirely surprising considering Bend has been quiet for years.
The seven years since the release of Days Gone in 2019 have been tumultuous for Bend Studio. The developer revealed in 2022 its next project is a new IP that “builds upon the open-world systems of Days Gone” and includes multijogador elements.
Two years later, a job post described a game in development at Bend as a triple-A live service project. That unannounced game was then cancelled in 2025, triggering a wave of layoffs at the studio that took place a few months later. Bend hasn’t said a word since then.
It’s now clear the studio hopped on its next project following the cancellation of that live service game. Seeing as 2026 is nearly over, we’re not likely to be waiting much longer to see that mysterious game unveiled.
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