This is a bold decision, but one that was needed to be made. As an old timer with the series and an insanely lover for it (it's my favourite gaming series) it was clear to me the franchise needed some breath of fresh air after Y6.
They could have perfectly stayed in their confort zone and continue to do the same formula, however they took a gamble and twisted the series into an RPG. I was not a fan of such decision, but after playing Like a Dragon for about 20 hours (it's the game I'm currently playing) I gotta say it's quite possibly one of the most refreshing RPG's in recent years. Funny, challenging, content-packing, narratively interesting, it's an amazingly well crafted first try for them.
Having this and Judgment series focusing on the more traditional take, while also being able to refresh things on its own, it's the best of two world.
Just look at Lost Judgment, looks damn dope already.
I'm perfectly fine with both, and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's just shows once again why they are easily my most favourite Japanese studio.
Kudos to them for making these games happen.