Asset Repurposing Fuels Dondoko Island's Wealth in Like a Dragon: Infinite

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s lead designer discussed the significance of editing and reusing past assets in Dondoko Island. Read on to learn more about how and why they expanded this mini-game.

Dodonko Island Game Mode is a Massive Mini-GameThe Art of Editing and Reusing Past Assets

On July 30, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s main designer Michiko Hatoyama discussed how Dondoko Island game mode grew enormously despite being a minigame.

In a recent interview with Automaton, Hatoyama explained that the original plan for Dondoko Island was not as expansive, but it took quite a turn while developing it. Hatoyama mentioned, “At first, Dondoko Island was a little smaller, but it kind of grew larger before we knew it.” RGG Studio took their plan a notch higher by adding more furniture recipes in this minigame.

RGG Studio revised and reused past assets to increase the number of furniture recipes in Dondoko Island. Hatoyama shared, they made individual furniture “in a matter of minutes,” while the typical duration for creating assets might take days or even a month to complete. The rich library of game assets from the Yakuza series enabled the team to rapidly create and integrate a large number of furniture into Dondoko Island.

Adding more furniture and expanding Dondoko Island's space stems from the idea of providing players new and refreshing ways to enjoy the game. The large island and the long list of furniture recipes give players more freedom and pleasure in transforming this garbage dump/island into a five-star island resort.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was released on January 25, 2024 and was positively received by fans and new players alike. It is the ninth of the mainline entry of the Yakuza series, not counting the spin-offs, ensuring that there are many assets to use and incorporate in their future games. For a minigame, Dondoko Island is massive in scale, and players can spend tons of hours making the best island resort thanks to RGG Studio's efficient use of their game assets.