Dondoko Island Decor: Upcycling Assets in 'Like a Dragon'

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's Dondoko Island, a surprisingly expansive minigame, owes its impressive scale to the clever reuse of existing game assets. Read on to discover how this approach dramatically expanded the game's content.

Dondoko Island: A Minigame That's Anything But Mini

Reusing Assets: The Key to Dondoko Island's Success

In a July 30th interview with Automaton, Michiko Hatoyama, lead designer on Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, revealed the secrets behind Dondoko Island's unexpected growth. Initially conceived as a smaller feature, the minigame blossomed during development. Hatoyama stated, "Dondoko Island started small, but it grew much larger than anticipated." This expansion was fueled by a significant increase in the number of available furniture recipes.

RGG Studio achieved this impressive feat by repurposing and adapting existing assets from previous games. Hatoyama explained that individual furniture pieces were created "in minutes," a stark contrast to the days or even months typically required for new asset creation. The extensive library of assets accumulated throughout the Yakuza series proved invaluable, allowing for rapid development and integration of a vast array of furniture items.

The decision to expand Dondoko Island and its furniture options stemmed from a desire to provide players with fresh and engaging gameplay experiences. The expansive island and numerous furniture recipes offer players considerable freedom and enjoyment in transforming the initial garbage dump into a luxurious resort.

Released on January 25, 2024, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (the ninth mainline entry in the Yakuza series, excluding spin-offs) received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Its success, in part, is due to the ingenious use of existing assets. Dondoko Island, a testament to efficient asset management, stands as a massive and highly replayable minigame, offering players countless hours of immersive island-building fun.