Masayoshi Yokoyama, the Executive Director for Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth defended the numerous changes the game underwent in localization to make it less offensive to modern audiences.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024), RGG Studios
As reported by Niche Gamer one scene sees the protagonist Kasuga asked about his marriage proposal to Sacchan. In the original Japanese, after Kasuga shares some details one of his friends responds, “Do you think a girl like that who works hard and lives her life would be happy if someone told her they’d make her happy?”
This was changed in the localization to read, “Listen, Ichiban. Sa-chan’s a hardworking, independent woman. You think a girl like that really needs someone to gallop on in and save the day?”
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024), RGG Studios
Later in the discussion, in the Japanese version, Kasuga’s friend informs him, “Hey hey! It’s bad to say ‘even though you’re a woman’ these days. Things like ‘because I’m a woman’ or thing like ‘even though you’re a woman’, there are a lot of people these days who get annoyed when people say things that make judgments based on gender, not just women.”
In the localization it reads, “Stuff like ‘for a woman’ or ‘even though you’re a woman…’ That kinda talk can come off as pretty sexist, even if you’re just hanging with us guys.”
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024), RGG Studios
Yokoyama responded to accusations that the localization was changing the game writing on X, “It seems that some of the story has been misrepresented, but localization does not change the original (Japanese) content.”
“I have them check to make sure there are no unintentional derogatory terms, discriminatory expressions, religious issues, etc., and then correct them with the original script. In other words, there is no difference between the Japanese version and the overseas version,” he asserted.
Masayoshi Yokoyama on X
Yokoyama then addressed the claim that “the localizer is bad.”
He wrote, “I have received similar responses, but I have never been asked to change the content. Things like a character’s name resembling a local derogatory term, or a mark that closely resembles an actual organization. Also, SEGA is in charge of localization, so we’re friends. If you don’t believe that, you can’t make a game (lol).”
Masayoshi Yokoyama on X
Next, he wrote, “Also, the Japanese ethics checks are 100 times more strict (lol). In the first place, the original was rewritten due to foreign influence! Even if you say that, we ourselves change while being influenced by various things, so we are not conscious of any changes.”
Masayoshi Yokoyama on X
He continued, “”In addition, finally. At RGG Studio in Japan, there are planners and designers whose native languages are English and Chinese, and they also conduct play checks in those languages, so if there are any strange changes, they’ll notice them right away. It shouldn’t have turned out to be that strange (lol).”
“Anyway, I have faith in my friends at SEGA,” he said.
Masayoshi Yokoyama on X
He would then address complaints about skirt length on female characters.
“Oh, I forgot to mention about the ‘skirt length’ mentioned in the article.
Staff: ‘Isn’t it short?’
Me: ‘Well, that’s true. It’s raw. I mean, it looks cold and it’s not the current style, so I guess I’ll change it.’
As a normal exchange, I asked MB to supervise the costumes. It is normal to receive and consider suggestions from team members,” he shared.
Masayoshi Yokoyama on X
Finally, he posted, “As I talked about in a conversation with Akio Otsuka during the Ryu Star long-time broadcast (Ryu 3), the school bags of children in Morning Glory are now uniformly colored black for men and red for women. Then I won’t do it. Because that’s how the world changes. We will continue to embrace change.”
Masayoshi Yokoyama on X
What do you make of Yokoyama’s comments defending the game’s localization?
He’s an ESG sellout. I don’t know what else to tell you.