Breathing New Life Into a Cult Classic — The Relaunch of Yakuza for SEGA

Overview

When SEGA set out to reintroduce Yakuza to a global audience, the challenge was clear: reignite interest among longtime fans while welcoming a new generation into the complex, gritty world of Tokyo’s underworld. Over the course of a year, Dutch led a content-driven relaunch campaign that honored the franchise’s legacy while expanding its reach across platforms and formats.

At the heart of the program was an ambitious 10-part digital comic series — scripted, illustrated, and animated in-house — that unpacked the history, honor codes, and emotional depth of the franchise’s core characters. Released episodically, the series served as both a narrative primer and a creative anchor for the larger campaign. Surrounding this, we developed an immersive digital experience that mapped the intricate web of families, clans, betrayals, and redemptions that define the Yakuza universe — giving new fans a chance to catch up, and old fans new layers to explore.

To cap the program, we created a premium content piece in partnership with GameSpot, one of the industry’s most respected platforms. Centered around Kamurocho — the fictional district inspired by Tokyo’s Kabukicho — the film-inspired activation was accessible only to those who’d followed the campaign closely, rewarding fans for their loyalty and cementing the relaunch as a true cultural moment.

Results

• First-ever comic series for the Yakuza franchise, establishing a new channel for storytelling and fandom.
• Hundreds of thousands of preorders driven by sustained engagement across content drops.
• Momentum that fueled a successful TV adaptation, proving that when you build for fans, they follow.