Shenmue 3 Confirmed AND Funded!

[Gikoku]

14 YEARS!! 14 GODDAMN YEARS! FINALLY.

SHENMUE ****ING 3.

You can laugh, but I actually almost cried when Yu Suzuki walked out on stage and delivered the news for Kickstarter last night, and it didn't even take long for it to happen! This game single-handedly revolutionized the landscape for RPGs & Open World gaming. The game was easily funded overnight in the blink of an eye and as of now continues to astronomically rise beyond the set goal. I just... this is so ****ing incredible. I never thought I would live long enough to see the final entry in this trilogy. Sega's been sitting on this franchise for 14 years and constantly denying and refusing Suzuki from ever finishing it, and still wouldn't fund him. I'm an honest Sega fanboy, but **** you Sega. My niece was born and is now in highschool since Shenmue 2 was released, that's how long its been.

Take notes Valve. Ryo just learned how to count to 3.

Also. Final Fantasy VII Remake confirmed, WTF, somebody pinch me.

 

[Quistrix]

I hope you're this happy when our first child is born. You really were close to tears. =]

 

[Gikoku]

Best & most appropriate reaction ever:

I hope you're this happy when our first child is born. You really were close to tears. =]

Of course I will, I'll be over the moon and back. And yes, yes I was. It's almost a whole day later and I'm still absolutely speechlees.

 

[Dark Drakan]

$2 million was a pretty small goal seem as though original reportedly cost $50 million. Been waiting so long for this news and glad I have a PC (in next few weeks) as seems XB1 owners have been left out (even though Xbox owners got Shenmue 2). Something doesnt seem right with the goal and platforms that have been mentioned so far...

 

[Gikoku]

$2 million was a pretty small goal seem as though original reportedly cost $50 million. Been waiting so long for this news and glad I have a PC (in next few weeks) as seems XB1 owners have been left out (even though Xbox owners got Shenmue 2). Something doesnt seem right with the goal and platforms that have been mentioned so far...

ITS REAL! ITS REAL ANDY!! :w00t:

But yeah, the final goal was pretty manageable thankfully. I'm under the impression the game already had most of the budget funded, but they were coming up short and needed that extra push. No doubt Sony also lent a hand with the funding which would explain the game being a PS4 exclusive for consoles (on a multiplat engine). Yu Suzuki couldn't get any other publisher to help fund them, so Sony stepping up is much commendable. So hey, at least we still get it on PC and it'll be running on the Unreal 4 engine.

It's due out for a 2017/2018 release date, so it'll be a while, but we've waited 14 years... pssh, we can definitely survive an extra 2-3 more. Only downside though, Suzuki said they wanted to have a stretch goal for Shenmue 1 & 2 HD Remasters... but as of now, Sega won't let them and are holding onto the license for themselves. Sigh..

 

[Dark Drakan]

Sega don't want anyone else to play with their toys despite them keeping them locked away collecting dust for many years. I'm so happy it's finally happening but also afraid of it living up to 14 years of hype and patience & worried that something shady might be going on behind the scenes.

 

[Gikoku]

Sega don't want anyone else to play with their toys despite them keeping them locked away collecting dust for many years. I'm so happy it's finally happening but also afraid of it living up to 14 years of hype and patience & worried that something shady might be going on behind the scenes.

Yeah, but I'm not worried. I'm just happy that I'll finally be able to finish the story and get the closure that's been long overdue. The series was groundbreaking for its time back then, but nowadays? With juggernauts like GTA V, Fallout 4, and Witcher 3 running wild on the scene, I don't expect the series to take the world by storm again even though it was one of the first monster-budget games ever made.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Yeah, but I'm not worried. I'm just happy that I'll finally be able to finish the story and get the closure that's been long overdue. The series was groundbreaking for its time back then, but nowadays? With juggernauts like GTA V, Fallout 4, and Witcher 3 running wild on the scene, I don't expect the series to take the world by storm again even though it was one of the first monster-budget games ever made.

Be a shame that for a lot of people who are going to play Shenmue III they will never have played the originals. Being Dreamcast & Xbox games lots of Sony fans have never played the others (some friends of mine included). Now they have been spoiled with other open world titles they might not "get" why we have been singing the franchises praises all these years & begging for a sequel. I dont think the tech they have available for Shenmue III will even hold a candle to the tech of the other open world giants these days. So many people who didnt play originals are going to come into it expecting groundbreaking stuff again and they wont get it.

 

[queenofdisco]

What in the f#ck is a shenmue?

 

[Quistrix]

What in the f#ck is a shenmue?

I think it's a type of Pokemon maybe?

 

[Gikoku]

Be a shame that for a lot of people who are going to play Shenmue III they will never have played the originals. Being Dreamcast & Xbox games lots of Sony fans have never played the others (some friends of mine included). Now they have been spoiled with other open world titles they might not "get" why we have been singing the franchises praises all these years & begging for a sequel. I dont think the tech they have available for Shenmue III will even hold a candle to the tech of the other open world giants these days. So many people who didnt play originals are going to come into it expecting groundbreaking stuff again and they wont get it.

Which is a damn shame, especially since Shenmue II wasn't even compatible with the Xbox 360. But Yu Suzuki stated that Shenmue III will come with a film disc that reflects on and summarizes the first 2 games, similar to the way Shenmue II did on the Xbox. Which honestly doesn't even remotely do the past games any justice whatsoever, but eh. On the plus side, since this game's announcement people have actually made the effort to flock to Dreamcast consoles on eBay to experience the past 2 games properly for this. So that's pretty awesome.

What in the f#ck is a shenmue?

I think it's a type of Pokemon maybe?

It's a tree actually!

Though these days most folk just end up mistaking the name as the main character (a la Zelda). >_>

 

[Dark Drakan]

Some similar thoughts crossed my mind...

 

[Gikoku]

Some similar thoughts crossed my mind...

What people are easily forgetting is that Shenmue 1 & 2 weren't true "open world" games, but they did usher in and lay the foundation for a ton of aspects that would then become a staple for proper open world gaming. Suzuki made it clear afterwards (on a Reddit post which later got blown up by the press) that the $2 million goal will get us the Shenmue experience fans have come to expect. $5 million brings a new game mechanic, and $10 million allows that extra step to make it a proper open-world experience (a series first). The $2mil isn't the entire budget (that would be ridiculous), but is instead an addition to existing funding from other sources that are held behind an NDA.

Despite the NDA, I would have preferred the goal announcement was more upfront and open from the start, but to be fair, $2mil is pretty damn huge for a Kickstarter and was a way for them to play it safe than to go all out with a massive $10mil goal. As it is now, I can bet it will reach the $5mil mark, but there's no way it'll reach $10 million... especially since now a lot of game "journalism" sites are running a smear campaign on this whole debacle and glossing over facts and statements for clickbait (plus they seem to have forgotten what an NDA stands for now).

Sigh, as it stands it doesn't matter if it reaches $5mil or $10mil, we're still getting the Shemnue III we were promised... we're just not getting the Shenmue III we dreamed of.

 

[Gikoku]

Hate to double post and all, but just wanted to post the update that the Kickstarter is over (I know, I'm late) and reached a total of $6.3 million (surprisingly) and additionally breaking the record for most funded Kickstarter in history. But damn was this one of the most sloppiest KS campaigns ever, the lack of transparency, the miscommunications, haphazardly and shoddy construction of stretch goals, and general media drama really damaged what could've been an incredible campaign.

What we've earned:
- Both English & Japanese Ryo will be returning to the series.
- Physical release.
- Fully expanded combat system (with advanced free form)
- Shenmue 1 & 2 movies.
- Mini games
- Rapport System
- Multi-languages
- Expanded villages/towns

There will also be a Shenmue 4. (So soon?)

I really feel bad for Suzuki, but to be fair he should've been straight from the very beginning with this and hired a better team than that comedy circus "Awesome Japan." This could've went so much better and probably would've reached the unfathomable $10 mil stretch goal. Oh well, hopefully a lesson was learned though, next time just fund the $10 mil yourself Sony instead of using a damn Kickstarter to gauge fan interest.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Hate to double post and all, but just wanted to post the update that the Kickstarter is over (I know, I'm late) and reached a total of $6.3 million (surprisingly) and additionally breaking the record for most funded Kickstarter in history. But damn was this one of the most sloppiest KS campaigns ever, the lack of transparency, the miscommunications, haphazardly and shoddy construction of stretch goals, and general media drama really damaged what could've been an incredible campaign.

What we've earned:
- Both English & Japanese Ryo will be returning to the series.
- Physical release.
- Fully expanded combat system (with advanced free form)
- Shenmue 1 & 2 movies.
- Mini games
- Rapport System
- Multi-languages
- Expanded villages/towns

There will also be a Shenmue 4.

I really feel bad for Suzuki, but to be fair he should've been straight from the very beginning with this and hired a better team than that comedy circus "Awesome Japan." This could've went so much better and probably would've reached the unfathomable $10 mil stretch goal. Oh well, hopefully a lesson was learned though, next time just fund the $10 mil yourself Sony instead of using a damn Kickstarter to gauge fan interest.

If Sony hadnt gotten involved I could have seen the total amount raised by fans doubling, people didnt like the miscommunication after so many shady kickstarters in the past and some early access games looking like simple cash grabs. Most said 'Why dont Sony fund the whole lot anyway if they want the profits?' so Sony seemed to hinder the process not help it and have also now limited a large amount of the fanbase too as lots of Sony fans have never even played Shenmue with it being a Sega/PC & Xbox title in past.

 

[Gikoku]

If Sony hadnt gotten involved I could have seen the total amount raised by fans doubling, people didnt like the miscommunication after so many shady kickstarters in the past and some early access games looking like simple cash grabs. Most said 'Why dont Sony fund the whole lot anyway if they want the profits?' so Sony seemed to hinder the process not help it and have also now limited a large amount of the fanbase too as lots of Sony fans have never even played Shenmue with it being a Sega/PC & Xbox title in past.

To add a little salt to the wound, Shuhei Yoshida ended up donating a whopping $29 to the kickstarter from his own wallet and announced it on Twitter immediately afterwards. Naturally that wasn't received very well by fans. I just, I'm really glad this is finally happening, it's a dream come true for me, but it reeked of a fishy odor from start to finish. And when Suzuki quickly announced Shenmue 4 before 3 was even finished being funded, that really raised some red flags.

Sigh, I dunno man. I hope this just doesn't happen again for Shenmue, Ryo deserved better than this. Only way they could shock people even more is if it turns out Sony ends up footing the rest of the budget after all and we do indeed get that proper "open world" experience. Now that'll be somethin' to write about.

 

[Dark Drakan]

To add a little salt to the wound, Shuhei Yoshida ended up donating a whopping $29 to the kickstarter from his own wallet and announced it on Twitter immediately afterwards. Naturally that wasn't received very well by fans. I just, I'm really glad this is finally happening, it's a dream come true for me, but it reeked of a fishy odor from start to finish. And when Suzuki quickly announced Shenmue 4 before 3 was even finished being funded, that really raised some red flags.

Sigh, I dunno man. I hope this just doesn't happen again for Shenmue, Ryo deserved better than this. Only way they could shock people even more is if it turns out Sony ends up footing the rest of the budget after all and we do indeed get that proper "open world" experience. Now that'll be somethin' to write about.

Or Sony decide they don't want to fund the rest due to apparent "lack of interest" after seeing that they didn't raise the full amount. Never know what Sony are going to pull these days.

 

[Gikoku]

Or Sony decide they don't want to fund the rest due to apparent "lack of interest" after seeing that they didn't raise the full amount. Never know what Sony are going to pull these days.

Well, you can definitely bet they'll never be doing something like this again after the big hoopla it started. On the other hand it can serve as a lesson for future KS projects on how NOT to handle a kickstarter. And instead they can look at other projects like Bloodstained: ROTN which were handled perfectly and professionally.

 

[Dark Drakan]

"I could do with a bit more money!": Yu Suzuki on the return of Shenmue ​

 

[Gikoku]

Suzuki is a freakin' legend in the industry and he deserved so much better than this, but man... if only he did more research. I swear it feels like he only chose "Awesome Japan!" to market the Kickstarter because of some friend with cheap 'n' easy connections. The look on his face during the infamous Q&A stream when he realized he made such a horrible mistake with them was priceless.

He's still trying to garner more money for the project via Slacker Backer (... what a name), no idea if he'll end up succeeding. But he already confirmed via the original Kickstarter that Shenmue 4 will be happening, question is, who the hell will fund it next time?