Game launches on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC, Game Pass; story spans decades in 20th-century Japan
Sega and Xbox unveiled a new cast and story trailer and a 92-minute presentation for Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s Stranger Than Heaven game (previously codenamed “Project Century”) on Wednesday. Both the trailer and the presentation highlight the game’s story, show gameplay footage, reveal the main cast, and announce the winter launch date.
Story Trailer:
Presentation Video:
Image via Stranger Than Heaven website
©SEGA
The game will explore different times and places in Japan’s modern history, including Kokura, Fukuoka in 1915; Kure, Hiroshima in 1929; Minami, Osaka in 1943; Atami, Shizuoka in 1951; and the fictional neighborhood of Kamurocho (based on the Kabukicho neighborhood, and a constant setting of RGG Studio’s Yakuza/Like a Dragon games) in Shinjuku, Tokyo in 1965.
Sega describes the game’s story:
A 50-year saga of those with nowhere to go and their desperate struggle to find a home. In 1915 San Francisco, a young boy, Makoto Daito, sneaks aboard a suspicious ship in the harbor under the cover of night. Born to an American father and a Japanese mother, Makoto faces harsh persecution due to his Asian heritage.
After losing both of his parents, Makoto decides to travel to his mother’s homeland, Japan, where a fateful encounter awaits. With nothing but the shirt on his back, Makoto soon learns, however, that his voyage across the Pacific is anything but a “free ride,” and that this one choice will forever change the course of his life.
The game will launch this winter on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam, and will also be available via Game Pass.
The game’s cast includes:
Sega provided the following comment regarding the character Genzo Iwaki and the model for the character being based on the late actor Bunta Sugawara:
In STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, the late and legendary actor Bunta Sugawara appears. SEGA received formal consent from his family, and, with materials provided by Toei Company Ltd.—which produced many of Mr. Sugawara’s films, including the Battles Without Honor and Humanity— RGG Studio crafted his CG character design based on archival footage and photographs from the time.
Snoop Dogg, Satoshi Fujihara, Ado, and Tori Kelly perform the game’s theme song “Stranger Than Heaven.”
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s remake of the Yakuza 3 game along with the new standalone Dark Ties title, launched as a single release for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam worldwide on February 12.
Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (Ryū ga Gotoku 8 Gaiden: Pirates in Hawaii) game launched worldwide for PS4, PS4, Xbox X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and PC via Steam in February 2025.
Source: Press release
