Like a Dragon Gaiden: Man Who Erased His Name Starts Big, Breaks All Time Peak Record for the Yakuza Franchise

The year keeps getting better for the gaming community. Another title has followed this year’s record-breaking streak on Steam. The latest installment of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon game series Like a Dragon Gaiden: Man Who Erased His Name has arrived and how! Just hours after its release, it achieved a special feat that surpasses the long-running history of the franchise. 

Ever since the next lineup of Yakuza games was revealed at the Tokyo Games Show 2023, fans have been looking forward to the first major release. Like a Dragon Gaiden, being the first of the release, came with a lot of expectations. Further, the SEGA-published title looked convincing enough to create a strong buzz around the game. However, no one would have projected the latest installment to get such a record-breaking reception within hours of its release. 

Like a Dragon Gaiden: Man Who Erased His Name records highest player count

According to a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), the title has already surpassed the all-time peak record and player count base for any Yakuza title on Steam. The 24-hour peak and all-time record peak have reached 12,684. The title also has 7,490 active players on Steam by the time of writing. 

With over nine main entries in the Yakuza franchise and around fourteen spin-off installments, the numbers for Like a Dragon Gaiden are remarkable. Also, following a decent critical response to the gameplay, the numbers are only projected to grow further. The numbers of the latest Yakuza launch might also help SEGA build strong hype around the next planned release under the same label.

For those unaware, the next project titled Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will release next January. It is already being speculated to receive a grander reception by the franchise fans. 

While the Steam numbers are huge, this isn’t the first time this yeart that players have seen such numbers. There’s a reason gamers are hailing 2023 as ‘one of the finest years for eSports’. 

The record-breaking 2023 for Steam

From hard-hitting nostalgia to wild innovations, the industry developers have left no stone unturned to spice up 2023. And the response has been equally overwhelming by the gaming community. 

Read More: What Happened With Assassin’s Creed Unity? A Massive Surge in Concurrent Players Record Has the Fans Guessing

At the beginning of the year itself, Steam racked up 10,082,055 active in-game players and 32,186,301 concurrent online users, making history.

The release of CS2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 were two major contributors to defining the steam charts for the year. Recently, the return of OG Fortnite helped the tactical shooter reach its all-time peak and player base. 

Besides the big rated releases, Steam charts have also been graced by some unexpected surprises. The Finals beta run is one such example that enjoyed strong attention from the FPS fanatics. 

So, the numbers for Like a Dragon Gaiden aren’t surprising. SEGA wanted to break some records, there couldn’t have been a better year! 

Have you played the latest Yakuza game yet? 

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