Summary
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthhas sold a million copies in its opening week, Sega has announced. This achievement makesLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealththe fastest-selling title in the long-running series.
Originally started in 2005, theLike a Dragonfranchise has so far produced 23 games. But the English versions of most of those titles were released under the oldYakuzamoniker, which Sega eventually changed toLike a Dragonin 2022 in order to bring the series' Western name in line with its Eastern moniker, Ryu Ga Gotoku. And while it wasn’t that long ago that the publisherinsisted theLike a Dragonfranchise remains a niche offering, its latest consolidated financial report revealed that the series surpassed 21 million in lifetime sales as of 2023.
The latest installment has continued that commercial momentum, with Sega just revealing thatLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthachieved a million sales during its launch week. Describing that figure as an improvement over the last mainline entry would be an understatement, asYakuza: Like a Dragonwas recently confirmed to be sitting at 1.8 million lifetime sales as of late 2023, three years since its release. Going by the series' historical sales data and this newly reported milestone, it is possible thatInfinite Wealthcould surpass that figure before its first anniversary.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Launch Sales Matched Its Critical Reception
Apart from boasting the title of the fastest-selling entry in the franchise,Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis alsocurrently one of the best-rated games of 2024. Its aggregate review score on Metacritic presently sits at 89, making it the third highest-rated game of the year, behindTekken 8andThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. The hit game shares that ranking withPersona 3 Reload, another one of Sega’s RPGs that released on February 2.
1.5 million
December 2013 (including Kiwami remake)
1.3 million
June 2019 (including Kiwami remake)
800,000
500,000
700,000
2 million
1 million
1.8 million
February 2024
The game’s strong critical reception undoubtedly helped its early commercial momentum, but Sega’s intensified marketing efforts evident in the RPG’s strong trade show presence also likely contributed to its success. Moreover, while the English version ofYakuza: Like a Dragonwas months behind the Japanese release, the 2023Like a Dragon: Ishinremake andInfinite Wealthhave both been treated to simultaneous global launches.Infinite Wealthalso improved on theYakuza: Like a Dragondifficulty curve, making the game much more accessible, a fact that was not lost on reviewers.
Themassively successful launch ofInfinite Wealthis even more impressive in light of the fact that this was the first entry in the franchise to debut at a $69.99 price point, a $10 increase compared to the previous installments. And while time will tell where the series goes from here, what’s already evident is thatLike a Dragonhas now firmly established itself as one of Sega’s flagship franchises with mainstream appeal.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
WHERE TO PLAY
EPIC EMOTIONAL DRAMATwo larger-than-life heroes brought together by the hand of fate, or perhaps something more sinister…Ichiban Kasuga, an unstoppable underdog who’s no stranger to crawling up from rock bottom, and Kazuma Kiryu, a broken man facing down his last days.BEST-IN-CLASS RPG ACTIONExperience one-of-a-kind combat with dynamic, fast-paced RPG battles where the battlefield becomes your weapon, and anything goes. Adapt your party’s skills to the situation with outlandish jobs and customizations to strategically subdue enemies with over-the-top moves.INFINITE ADVENTURELive it up in Japan and explore all that Hawaii has to offer in an adventure so big it spans the Pacific. Unforgettable moments await at every step of the journey with a unique mix of quests and activities to enjoy at your leisure.
