Some welcome news has arrived from the latest Like a Dragon Direct broadcast: upcoming action adventure Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii won’t be placing its New Game+ mode behind a paywall.

If you’re not sure why that’s a big deal, it’s because Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which launched last year, sold New Game+ as part of a DLC pack. Before then, New Game+ had always been included in the base release of every Yakuza / Like a Dragon title, allowing players to restart the game with all of their character progression and unlocks intact.

It was a (rightfully) controversial move amongst existing fans of the franchise, with many enthusiasts accusing SEGA of pushing an anti-consumer strategy. Fortunately, it looks like the backlash has forced positive change with regards to Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

Indeed, New Game+ will be added for free via a post-launch update. A bit of a shame that it won’t be there day one, but we assume that it’ll drop sooner rather than later.