Snoop Dogg To Appear in RGG Studio’s Stranger Than Heaven

RGG Studio is bringing some unexpected star power to its next title. Stranger Than Heaven, announced for Xbox Series X|S and PC with day-one Game Pass availability this winter, features Snoop Dogg, his son Cordell Broadus, American singer-songwriter Tori Kelly, and J-Pop artist Satoshi Fujihara in key roles.

Xbox hosted a dedicated 30-minute broadcast on May 6, during which RGG Studio Head Masayoshi Yokoyama and his team walked through the story, cities, combat, and cast in detail. Snoop Dogg will also contribute to the game’s music, alongside Japanese internet personality Ado. 

Stranger Than Heaven Goes Back to Yakuza Origins

The game follows Makoto Daito, born in America to a Japanese mother and American father, across 50 years of his life, from a stowaway teenager in 1915 to a seasoned figure in 1965 Tokyo. The narrative unfolds across five districts inspired by real Japanese cities: Kokura in 1915, Kure in 1929, Osaka in 1943, Atami in 1951, and Shinjuku in 1965, each with distinct storylines shaped by its era.

Snoop Dogg plays Orpheus, a charismatic smuggler who catches Makoto on his boat and, rather than throwing him overboard, takes him on as a sidekick. Cordell Broadus plays a separate, yet-to-be-revealed character also woven into the ensemble. Tori Kelly plays Suzy, an ambitious singer Makoto encounters during the Shizuoka chapter, while Satoshi Fujihara plays Takashi, a yakuza-connected musician who becomes Makoto's assistant. Kelly and Fujihara also co-wrote the game's theme song.

A central mechanic ties directly into Makoto's life as a showman. Players can record ambient sounds in the world and later use them to compose original music. Makoto also scouts and manages performers, organizes shows, and builds a roster of artists across the decades.

Combat is built fresh for this title, with the left and right sides of Makoto's body controlled independently. Players use separate button combinations for each arm and leg, allowing for one limb to be restrained while the other keeps fighting. This is a large departure from the Yakuza franchise’s stiff combat. Weapons range from knives and hammers to katanas, all upgradeable with passive abilities and special attacks.

Why the Yakuza Franchise Keeps Pulling in New Audiences

RGG Studio casting Snoop Dogg is unusual, but it fits a pattern. The studio behind the Yakuza and Like a Dragon series has spent years building an audience that extends well beyond traditional action-RPG fans.

The studio likes taking risks and releasing unconventional stories. Like a Dragon: Ishin! was a samurai period piece. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth sent its cast to Hawaii and leaned hard into turn-based combat. Each entry retools the formula while keeping the melodrama and dense world-building intact.

That flexibility has paid off commercially and culturally with one of RGG Studio’s most recent games, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, selling over a million copies in its opening week in early 2024. The studio’s games manage to shift from bizarre side quests to serious main story quests, making them stand out from the usual fare the AAA games industry has to offer.