A sleeper hit for Amazon Prime Video, the Fallout TV series impressed long-time video game fans and newcomers alike. In its first two weeks or so, Fallout drew an estimated 65 million viewers, making the post-apocalyptic drama Amazon Prime Video’s second most-watched title ever. Adapting the world of Fallout was a tall order for the show’s team. Not only is the franchise bursting with in-universe history and lore, but most entries in the Fallout series are open-world, side-quest-packed action role-playing games that put a player’s choices front and center in the story.

Be it The Lone Wanderer or The Courier, the Fallout games center on nameless protagonists — someone players can mold, from their outfit to their personality and moral standing. Set in Fallout‘s canonical timeline, the TV series brings new characters and stories into the fold of a familiar world. The show even embraces the games’ penchant for dark comedy and meta references, which makes the adaptation feel incredibly connected to the source material. Against the odds, Amazon Prime Video adapted a uniquely interactive property. Looking ahead, the platform is set to become the home of top-notch video game adaptations.

Amazon Prime Video Is Releasing A Live-Action Adaptation Of SEGA’s Yakuza Like A Dragon

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Eighth Yakuza Game Is Coming To Streaming

According to a recent write-up by Variety, streaming behemoth Amazon Prime Video will bring a live-action adaptation of SEGA’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon to its streaming platform. Titled Like a Dragon: Yakuza, the six-part action-packed crime thriller stars Takeuchi Ryoma (Kamen Rider, Detective Pikachu) as the Yakuza series’ long-time protagonist, Kiryu Kazuma. While a 2020 game bears a similar name to the upcoming show, the franchise is known in Japan as Ryū ga Gotoku (or Like a Dragon). That said, viewers can expect a Kiryu-focused, more classic Yakuza story.

Known as the fearsome Dragon of Dojima due to both his iconic back tattoo and allegiance to the Dojima Family yakuza group, the Yakuza character was designed to have a broad appeal. A Tojo clan member, Kiryu is both fiercely loyal and, perhaps surprisingly, incredibly kind. In the series’ 2005 debut game, Kiryu Kazuma takes the fall for his yakuza boss’ death in order to protect his friend and sworn brother. While it’s not clear how, exactly, the Amazon Prime Video series will adapt the Yakuza franchise’s many stories, it’s been revealed that the narrative will straddle two time periods.

Like Fallout, The Yakuza Games Feature RPG Elements

While Yakuza Has A Named Character, Its Gameplay Doesn’t Make It An Obvious Choice For Adaptation

The bulk of SEGA’s Yakuza/Like a Dragon games combine elements of the action-adventure and role-playing genres. Earlier Yakuza titles especially could definitely be described as “beat ’em up” games — brawlers focused on hand-to-hand combat and hordes of enemies — while more recent entries in the series have strayed into turn-based combat territory. Outside the Yakuza games’ emphasis on combat, the series also encourages players to explore the very lived-in world around them, interact with non-playable characters who populate the game, and pursue Yakuza‘s memorable mini-games.

Plot-wise, the Yakuza games are crime dramas. More often than not, Kiryu Kazuma wants to leave his yakuza past behind him and learn to live a life without violence. Much like Fallout, the sprawling world is still contained by a linear story, so there is some framework for the TV series adaptation to use. However, the Yakuza games aren’t like The Last of Us — a prime example of a linear game that makes the adaptation process a little more straight-forward. Given what Amazon Prime Video did with Fallout, however, Like a Dragon: Yakuza should overcome any inherent challenges.

Yakuza Continues An Exciting Trend For Amazon’s Live-Action Video Game Adaptations

Amazon Has Set Its Sights On Other Video Game Franchises, Including God Of War

“While the games let you experience their world through the subjective lens, this adaptation will be the ultimately objective way to enjoy the show,” Yokoyama Masayoshi, head of Ryugagotoku Studio and executive producer, told Variety. Excitingly, the 20-year-old Yakuza series looks like it will continue a great trend for Amazon Prime Video, which garnered a lot of faith from video game fans in the wake of Fallout‘s release. Reportedly, Amazon is looking to adapt both a popular space RPG (likely Mass Effect) and God of War, which means Like a Dragon: Yakuza must build upon Fallout‘s robust foundation.

Source: Variety