RGG Studios At Work On ‘Virtua Fighter Next’ And “Project Century”

SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios got busy at The Game Awards 2024 by announcing not one, but two different projects. First, the companies confirmed RGG is working on the next Virtua Fighter game, currently identified only as Virtua Fighter Next. In a trailer totaling under 90 seconds, viewers are treated to pre-alpha gameplay footage showing only the very end of a battle, before being shown some off-screen gameplay. The conclusion of the trailer promoted a Virtua Fighter Direct that happened later that night.

The 30-minute Direct confirmed that the original team is coming back to work on the next title in the franchise, then discussed ensuring the new iteration focused on “innovation” and “reality.” The video also made it clear that this Virtua Fighter project has been in the works for several years now, which lines up with SEGA previously announcing how pleased they were with the reception to Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown in 2021.

However, that wasn’t the only project RGG Studios revealed at The Game Awards. They also premiered something new — set in 1915 Japan and, presumably, within the Yakuza universe — currently called “Project Century.” Not much was revealed about this title, save showing the game’s main character fighting off enemies with much more brutal and gory attacks than even Yakuza is known for. Little else is clear at the moment, but RGG Studios might be the most efficient studio in the world.  With Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth releasing in 2023, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii releasing in 2025, and “Project Century” releasing in 2026 or 2027, they’re a studio that’s figured out how to work around the increasing demands of more powerful hardware.