Shenmue 3 has gone from E3 unveiling to controversy to a nearly-successful Kickstarter, showcasing one of the bumpiest PR rides in recent memory along the way.
When series guru Yu Suzuki took the stage during Sony’s conference at E3, the crowd was still breathlessly buzzed over the Final Fantasy VII Remake announced just a few moments prior. The good will factor for Sony at that point was through the roof as their presentation had already contained two surprises that had risen from joke and legend status and back into the development pipeline. When Suzuki announced the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter’s opening bell, the camera memorably panned to the crowd and took in the head-holding reaction that summed up the entire experience.
Since that emotional rush for gamers, this project has raised over double its asking amount in their campaign with the majority of that support coming within the first day or two of the announcement. Stretch goals were added, details, a statement clearing up some seemingly off ethical questions; this entire project proceeded to gain and notoriety and infamy by the day it seemed. Ys Net, the entity behind Shenmue 3, has now put together some in-game footage of one of the slow, quiet moments the series was so popular for during the first two entries.
For those that haven’t followed the story of Ryo thus far, his is one of revenge against the murderer of his father Lan Di. However, the auxiliary pieces – day-to-day lifestyle, collecting toys, gambling etc. – are often what fans reference when singing this series’ praises. The third game will pick up directly where the main story left off and looks to continue that day-to-day tradition according to Suzuki himself.
Take a look at the new trailer below. Shenmue 3 is scheduled to release in December of 2017 for PlayStation 4 and PC. Check out their Kickstarter page for details on rewards for backers and updates on the project.
