News

NetEase to Close Nagoshi Studio Amid Major Cuts

by


Nearly three years have passed since Toshihiro Nagoshi departed SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio to establish his own venture, Nagoshi Studio, under NetEase. Unfortunately, reports indicate the studio may not see its debut project come to fruition. According to Bloomberg, Nagoshi Studio is among the casualties of NetEase’s recent restructuring, facing closure.

While the studio will be granted time to finalize its current projects, but will not receive further time, funding or marketing support. This severely limits the game’s prospects for widespread release and promotion.

Speculation now turns to Toshihiro Nagoshi’s future. His departure from SEGA was reportedly fueled by dissatisfaction with a demotion and disagreements over company expenditures. Regardless, Nagoshi’s reputation remains strong within the Japanese gaming industry. It would not be surprising if other publishers are already expressing interest in his services. Who would that be?

6 Comments

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Out Now; New Game Plus and English VO Available with Day-1 Patch

by

Aye ye land lubbers! We would like to inform you all that SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has officially launched the latest spin-off in the Like a Dragon series and one of 2025’s most anticipated games, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows and Steam (PC).

In addition to the launch, a new “Day One” patch is available for the game with New Game Plus, which allows players to start the game from the beginning, carrying money, fame, and the abilities of Majima and the crew from the completed story save data (story progression will be reset). English and Chinese voice over in addition to other technical adjustments are also included in the patch.

Don’t miss out and be sure to get yer hands on Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii today on these platforms.

Available Now on Amazon

Standard Edition: PlayStation 4 | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X

Collector’s Edition: PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X

Windows & PC: Steam

P hnKog pbltyi O XPKawKU

1 Comment

Like A Dragon crossover DLC “Ichiban’s Holiday” coming soon to Dave the Diver

by

Revealed in PlayStation’s State of Play presentation yesterday, February 12th, 2025, a new DLC crossover with the Like A Dragon series, Ichiban’s Holiday, is coming this April to the hit game Dave the Diver. After having already enjoyed crossovers with franchises like Godzilla and Guilty Gear, the Hero of Yokohama, Ichiban Kasuga, alongside the bartender of the Survive Bar, will be joining Dave The Diver in a new action-packed story expansion on all platforms that Dave The Diver is available on. This will include some new mini-games and a new beat-em-up style side game that’s sure to excite Dave the Diver fans.

For more info about this new expansive, dive in through the break.

Continue Reading ➜

Ieb nXB ESU qDzua tGa

No Comments

Golden Axe arcade game now ported to SNK’s Neo-Geo

by

The arcade version of Golden Axe (1989) has now been ported to the Neo-Geo family of systems by h0ffman. This comes a couple of weeks after their homemade port of the arcade version of Shinobi (1988) to Neo-Geo, and the Golden Axe port was handled in much the same way. Now that their Golden Axe port is completed, it is now available to download for free from their itch.io page and ready to run on Neo-Geo AES, MVS, and CD hardware.

Unlike with their Shinobi port, they’ve added some extra special features to this new Neo-Geo port. You’ll find more information, along with a download link, right past the break.

Continue Reading ➜

AnoZ IkRy V

No Comments

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Demo Available Now On PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam

by

During yesterday’s PlayStation State of Play, SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio announced a demo for the highly anticipated Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam, and it’s now available to play!

Players eager to get a taste of the action in the over-the-top, modern-day pirate adventure as ex-yakuza Goro Majima can access the demo and enjoy it for as long as they like. In the demo they’re able to explore a slice of the massive Honolulu map and kick arrrss with Majima’s Sea Dog & Mad Dog fighting styles, then head to the secret criminal haven of Madlantis to test their might in real-time ship & deck battles in the Pirates’ Coliseum naval arena.

Immerse yourself in thrilling action with furious combat and get a peek at some of the content available in the full game that also includes open-sea adventure, ship customization, crew building, an epic story and more!

Pre-Order on Amazon

Standard Edition: PlayStation 4 | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X

Collector’s Edition: PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X

Windows & PC: Steam

No Comments

SEGA News Bits Live: Sonic CrossWorlds REVEALED + Shinobi RETURNS

by

Sony’s State of Play brought us tons of new information on Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds as well as a full reveal of the new Shinobi game, subtitled Art of Vengeance! Let’s take a look at both trailers and discuss additional details on this SEGA News Bits Live!

If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

zZ LA LU

No Comments

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Announce Trailer Revealed With Gameplay!

by

Sonic and friends are back for another amazing racing event across land, sea, air, space, and time in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds! As seen in the announced gameplay trailer, warp through Travel Rings into new dimensions where something new awaits around every twist and turn. Speed to victory solo or as a team in a variety of offline and online modes and compete against players from around the world.

Build the ultimate machine to match your racing style, unlock gadgets to gain the upper hand, and unleash power-up items for the win! Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds also offers the largest roster of characters in any Sonic racing game, as well as a wide variety of customizable vehicles. Sonic Racing CrossWorlds will be soon available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

 

No Comments

SEGA Announces SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance; Releases on August 29, 2025

by

Joe Musashi returns in the latest entry to the Shinobi series after a long hiatus with SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, which was announced recently on Playstation’s State of Play. The game is being developed by Lizardcube, the talent behind Streets of Rage 4. Play as Joe Musashi in a new 2D action platformer that marks the return of the iconic SHINOBI franchise.

SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance follows longtime series protagonist and master of the ninja arts, Joe Musashi, who arrives home from a previous adventure to find his village burned to the ground and his clan turned into stone. Driven by vengeance, Joe sets off on an epic quest, battling hordes of enemies and larger-than-life bosses across stunning hand-drawn worlds. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance will be available for PS5/4, Xbox Series X|S/One, & Steam. Nintendo Switch and physical soon on August 29.

Pre-order now to receive a 10% discount and bonuses along with the Digital Deluxe Edition – includes the Ghost Outfit, 3 days early access, and more.

Hit the jump for more details on key features and the Digital Deluxe Edition.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

New mid-range Genesis/Mega-Drive flashcart, the Mega Everdrive Core, launches from Everdrive creator Krikzz

by

The ever-so-busy creator of the Everdrive line of flash cartridges for various retro systems, Krikzz, has debuted his newest edition to the Mega Everdrive lineup for Genesis/Mega-Drive hardware: The Mega Everdrive Core. This new mid-range flash cartridge, in terms of functionality, sits between his most feature rich option: the Mega Everdrive Pro, and the next best option: the Mega Everdrive X5. (Not to mention a much bigger step up from the next newest edition to the Mega Everdrive family, the OpenED)

Like any flash cartridge, this allows you to run digitized Genesis game roms on original Genesis consoles, as well as certain clones. The Mega Everdrive Core can also run Master System and 32X game roms on Genesis systems as well. (Provided you’re using a system compatible with Master System games in the former case or have an original 32X equipped in the latter case.) It also has support for the Genesis version of Virtua Racing too, unlike the OpenED. The most important difference between this and the Pro model is that it cannot run Sega CD games, the modern classic Genesis RPG Pier Solar (2010), or games patched with MSU-MD support.

After the break, you can expect a handy chart detailing the differences between the Core and the Pro and X5 models, as well as a link to order directly from Krikzz’s Everdrive store.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

New Genesis/Mega-Drive shooter ZPF now available for pre-order

by

Remember the new hit indie Genesis/Mega-Drive shooter ZPF, which succeeded in its Kickstarter campaign to fund development in July of last year? The game is still in development as of this writing, but pre-orders have now opened up to the public on Backerkit (In December 2024, but hey, they’re still available right now, at least). Even if you didn’t back the Kickstarter, you now have a chance to get your order in and be assured to receive your copy of the game as soon as it’s available. If you did back the Kickstarter, you can take this opportunity to order any items that weren’t included with your pledge that you may want.

From Backerkit, you can order new exclusive Complete-In-Box packages, collector’s edition sets, and other goods such as an artbook or a vinyl or CD soundtrack. You can also order copies of the developer’s previous game Tanzer or the other recent new indie Genesis game Rocket Panda, if you feel like having an extra game with ZPF. These two games are available for $45 USD, while ZPF is available as a $50 cartridge-only package, a $60 CIB set, and a $150 collector’s edition complete with unique cartridge design.

For a link to the pre-order page, and details on other goods you can pre-order, have a look after the break.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Limited Run Games opens up pre-orders for new English printings of Earnest Evans and Annet Returns for the first time until March 9th

by

Here’s a retro reprint that you do not see often. Limited Run Games have opened up pre-orders for the first ever English versions of Earnest Evans and Annet Returns for Sega CD. Both games released exclusively in Japan on that platform (Though a Genesis version of Earnest Evans had been made exclusively for North America) and have had their animated cutscenes finally dubbed in English for the first time, exclusively in this release. LRG has also begun pre-orders for reprints of the Genesis cartridge version of Earnest Evans at the same time. Each of these games can be purchased separately or altogether in a special collector’s edition bundle. Pre-orders are currently open right now until March 9th, 2025.

For a brief synopsis on each game, pre-order links, and a bit of a warning for buyers, check in after the break for more.

Continue Reading ➜

aECYIKZa d

No Comments

Samoa Joe Stars in New Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Story Trailer

by

Ahoy SEGAbits visitors! SEGA has launched a new story trailer for the highly anticipated Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii featuring Pirate King Raymond Law, played by AEW professional wrestler Samoa Joe.

In the trailer, the Pirate King gives viewers a glimpse into the adventure that awaits Majima and crew, and hints at stories untold – and adventures that will unfold.

Check out the rest of the amazing English VO cast’s performance when the VO patch drops at launch. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii releases February 21st, 2025 and is available to pre-order for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows and PC (Steam).

Fans who pre-order the game can add Ichiban Kasuga and Nancy to their crew plus the ability to have Majima change into two of Ichiban Kasuga’s iconic outfits.

Pre-Order on Amazon

Standard Edition: PlayStation 4 | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X

Collector’s Edition: PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X

Windows & PC: Steam

No Comments