Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches a week earlier to avoid being chased by a monster

RGG Studio and Sega released a new trailer yesterday for Like a Dragon : Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii at the Xbox Partner Preview showcase. They also revealed a surprise release date: it will be one week earlier than planned, on February 21, 2025. Now we know the real reason, and it's a very practical one.

Masayoshi Yokoyama, director of RGG Studio, explained the situation in a video posted on X (via GamesRadar), shortly after the trailer was released. After mentioning a few of the features shown in the trailer, the director moved on to the "little secret" at the end: the new release date.

"This is partly due to the fact that development is going more smoothly than anticipated, but we want to deliver the games to players as soon as possible." We wanted to give you the peace of mind to play any game that follows it."

It's a little cryptic. February is already a ridiculously packed month with releases such as Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 on February 11, Civilization 7 on February 11, Assassin's Creed Shadows on Feb 14, and Avowed, which will be released in february 18. The real culprit is Monster Hunter Wilds. It's scheduled for February 27, the same day Like a Dragon : Pirate Yakuza Hawaii was originally planned to launch. It's going be a big deal: Monster Hunter Wilds is currently ranked at the top of Steam's list of most-wanted games. You can see why RGG Studio would want to get in the way.

It's not a new move. In 2020, Everspace 2, Path of Exile and The Medium chose to make room for the Cyberpunk 2077 giant. In recent years, the Alone in the Dark remake jumped from October to January 2024 in order to avoid Alan Wake 2, Cities Skylines 2, Spider-Man 2, and Alan Wake 3.

It may or may not take a week to finish Pirate Yakuza Hawaii before Monster Hunter Wilds is released, but it's important to clear the decks for those first-day (and first-week) sales. By moving off the shared spot, gamers who are interested in both games don't need to make a decision. This can mean the difference between a successful launch (and lucrative full price sales) or languishing at the bottom of a wishlist.