Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Layoff Storyline Feels ‘Too Quickly’

On the onset of Infinite Wealth, it’s revealed that Ichiban’s now not dwelling continuously on the again foot as a result of he lastly has a job at a firm referred to as Howdy Works. Howdy Works, which was first launched in Yakuza: Like A Dragon, is an employment workplace in Ijincho that Ichiban and his pal Yu Nanba utilized to achieve employment after they have been homeless. Gameplay-wise, Howdy Work was additionally cleverly used to elucidate how every celebration member would earn and degree up job expertise with Yakuza’s new turn-based Dragon Quest-inspired battle system.

It’s additionally revealed that Ichiban is using his place at Howdy Work to help former yakuza members fill out their resumes and making use of for civilian jobs after the sudden dissolution of the Tojo clan on the tail-end of the earlier sport.

For Ichiban, he sees it as giving again and paying it ahead to his Yakuza boss and deceased father, Masumi Arakawa, who needed the Yakuza’s dissolution to permit his subordinates to make an sincere dwelling outdoors of Japan’s legal underworld. If I recall, I wrote in my assessment notes “He similar to me for actual” due to how a lot I sympathized with how Iciban’s outlook mirrored my very own after I broke into the trade aspiring to implement Options Journalism within the area when addressing the doom and gloom that hangs over studying and dealing within the video games trade.

All that to say, life for Ichiban was on the upswing. Of us on the road greet him because the hero of Yokohama, his workers respect his earnest efforts to enhance at his job, and his yakuza shoppers are appreciative of his capability to use their unorthodox expertise into the labor power. The subsequent day Ichiban exhibits as much as work, he’s been laid off similar to I used to be.

After solely two years and two months of writing gaming information and opinions, interviewing voice actors I may solely dream of assembly, and masking huge anime occasions, I used to be suddenly laid off from Kotaku last November. I’d be mendacity if I mentioned the waves of petrifying despair don’t routinely lap me underneath its undertow. Being laid off broke me in methods I’m nonetheless looking for methods to repair.

Whereas it’s change into uncomfortably commonplace to listen to about mass layoffs at media corporations, this short-sighted development has lately reared its ugly head into video games, tech, and past. As of the time of publication, the gaming trade has seen roughly 5,932 layoffs. These layoffs embody corporations like Microsoft, Riot Games, Behavior Interactive, Unity, and Twitch to call a few. Whereas Ichiban later uncovers the merciless motive behind his unemployment, people in the true world are not often provided that luxurious. At finest, individuals are informed, “Good luck in your future endeavors” in an exit interview. At worst, they get up in a chilly sweat to the information on social media. Both method, layoffs suck.

The one little bit of solace I had on the time was the truth that I’d quickly have the ability to get pleasure from a while with Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu whereas reviewing Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. However now one in all its heroes, who noticed a lot promise in a job he liked, was in the identical place I’m.

In contrast to my layoff expertise—which was so abrupt I had little alternative to change goodbyes with my coworkers— Ichiban acquired ample time for solemn farewells along with his coworkers. These farewells twinged with the identical uncomfortable weight of well-meaning platitudes about issues turning round for the higher when he inevitably finds new work. All through all of it, Ichiban braves a grateful smiling face thanking his former coworkers. However as soon as Ichiban is given a second alone outdoors of his workplace constructing, he breaks down. “Every little thing’s proper again to the way it was once,” he says to himself.

However Infinite Wealth had yet another kicker for me when the following textual content immediate appeared:

Kasusga’s job has modified from Howdy Employee to Freelancer.