Gang of Dragon, a new game from Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, has come under threat after NetEase informed the studio that funding for the project would end in May 2026.
According to Bloomberg, the Chinese corporation decided to suspend support for the game after it became known that another 7 billion yen (about $44.4 million) would be required to complete it.
Gang of Dragon was positioned as a crime action game with a rich storyline, a realistic urban landscape recreating real districts of Tokyo, and an emphasis on hand-to-hand combat and chases. The leading role in the project was performed by well-known South Korean actor Ma Dong-seok ("Train to Busan"), but now the fate of the game is highly uncertain.
The termination of funding threatens not only the project itself, but also the existence of Nagoshi Studio, the studio founded by Nagoshi in 2022 after his departure from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
The studio cannot simply go fully independent, since part of it is still owned by NetEase. To do so, Nagoshi Studio would need to pay compensation to the Chinese giant. It is reported that Toshihiro Nagoshi has been searching for new partners for several months already, but so far without success.