Yakuza/Ryu ga Gotoku fandom is currently at a peak here in the west. Once upon a time it took three years after the Japanese release for the fifth main game in the series to be released overseas, but after Yakuza 0 the series' popularity skyrocketed. Now the games are getting released over here only months after their initial debuts, they're getting released on PC as well as PS4 and last gen's games are getting remastered. Even more excitingly, Sega have shown some new details about where the series will go in the future.

Previously known as Shin Ryu ga Gotoku, the next game is set to take place after the saga of Kazuma Kiryu concluded in Yakuza 6. The wild-haired new protagonist, Kasuga Ichiban, and his story began in the mobile game Ryu ga Gotoku Online, and on April Fool's day of this year Ryu ga Gotoku Studio streamed a video showing combat from the upcoming title, only it looked a little different to what everyone was expecting.

Pretty crazy, right? I mean, there's no way they'd actually replace the series' signature, brutally fun beat 'em up combat system with a turn-based RPG affair. Imagine how the fans would react!

Now the new game has been officially unveiled as Ryu ga Ga Gotoku 7: Hikari to Kamue no Yukue (or just Yakuza: Like a Dragon in the west, a cool nod to the Japanese title of the series). It's set in Yokohama instead of Kiryu's old stomping ground Kamurocho and follows Ichiban after he undergoes the series tradition of being imprisoned for a long period of time and being released to find the old Yakuza underworld he knew has been shaken up, and he has to get to the bottom of several intertwining conspiracies, while getting involved in some goofy hijinks along the way. 

The general plot might feel kinda familiar, but the cast, location, tone and combat system are brand new. It's been confirmed that the turn-based RPG gameplay wasn't a joke after all. Known as "Live Command RPG Battle," the new system still uses the Dragon Engine introduced in Yakuza 6 but now has an RPG system with turn-based commands but where characters move in real time. The city and environment will play a big part in the combat, and it definitely carries over the series' trademark zaniness.

That said, not everyone is happy over the new change. People can deal with new protagonists and a new setting, but the new combat has really turned some people off, saying it's "#notmyyakuza" or saying they didn't ask for a gritty version of Persona. Of course, there are those that are still optimistic about it, saying that combat is only a small part of what makes Yakuza what it is, and there'll no doubt still be a great plot, well-developed characters, plenty of side content and that all-important charm. Others remember how God of War drastically changed the gameplay that made it famous, but even now the jury's still out on whether or not that was for the best.

We'll have to wait until TGS next month for more footage, but what do you think about the future ofYakuza? Do you think the RPG style combat will be worth it? Or is it an unnecessary change? Drop your thoughts below!