Shenmue 3 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Sat, 30 Nov 2019 09:38:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Shenmue 3 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Shenmue 3 has worst opening of the series in Japan https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/shenmue-3-has-worst-opening-of-the-series-in-japan/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/shenmue-3-has-worst-opening-of-the-series-in-japan/#respond Fri, 29 Nov 2019 14:11:37 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=438905 After 18 years since its last entry, Shenmue 3 finally released earlier this month. The game’s original reveal in 2015 was met with much anticipation, with the Kickstarter becoming the most funded video game campaign ever at the time, having raised over $6.3 million. It appears that an 18 year wait hasn’t done much to …

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After 18 years since its last entry, Shenmue 3 finally released earlier this month. The game’s original reveal in 2015 was met with much anticipation, with the Kickstarter becoming the most funded video game campaign ever at the time, having raised over $6.3 million. It appears that an 18 year wait hasn’t done much to increase the demand for a sequel in an objective manner however, as the game had the worst opening for the series, in its debut in Japan – even worse than last year’s remaster.

Reported by GamedataLibrary, the game sold 17,857 copies in its opening week in Japan. This is lower than Shenmue 1’s 257,775 copies in 1999, Shenmue 2’s 92,917 copies in 2001, and even the PS4 Shenmue 1 and 2 remaster in 2018, which sold 19,701 copies in its first week.

Furthermore, in the UK, the game debuted at no. 17 in the physical charts selling just over half of last year’s remasters of 1 and 2 on the PlayStation 4.

These numbers are troubling, especially in the wake of the game’s creator, Yu Suzuki, claiming to need to make 2 more games in order to finish the overarching story of the series. The charts do not reflect the absolute total copies sold however, as those who funded the game through Kickstarter are not included in these sales figures. The game received a mixed reception by critics, although fans appear to be more satisfied with the game.

Yu Suzuki has previously stated that good sales of Shenmue 3 is less important than being able to find the right partner to help release future titles, so while the sales of Shenmue 3 may be less than desired, fans may yet be able to experience the full story of Shenmue.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you purchased Shenmue 3? Do you think Yu Suzuki will be able to make Shenmue 4? What improvements would you like to see in the sequel? Let us know down below.

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Yu Suzuki promises to try to make Shenmue IV https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/yu-suzuki-promises-to-try-to-make-shenmue-iv/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/yu-suzuki-promises-to-try-to-make-shenmue-iv/#respond Wed, 20 Nov 2019 17:12:17 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=437227 18 years after the release of its second entry in the series, Shenmue III finally came out yesterday. The series’ creator, Yu Suzuki, wrote a letter to the fans of the series in the credits of the game, pledging that he will “never give up” on trying to complete the story of Shenmue, saying “For …

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18 years after the release of its second entry in the series, Shenmue III finally came out yesterday. The series’ creator, Yu Suzuki, wrote a letter to the fans of the series in the credits of the game, pledging that he will “never give up” on trying to complete the story of Shenmue, saying “For as long as there are those who wish to see Shenmue live on, I will never give up on my own personal journey to complete its story. As with Shenmue III, the Shenmue story is with you”.

The original Shenmue released in 1999, and at the time was the most expensive video game ever to have been made. This afforded the game to have a level of world building and simulation that was unheard of up to that point. It also meant however, that after the release of Shenmue II in 2001 for the Dreamcast, the series was put on ice, with no major publishers willing to take the financial risk on a game that hadn’t turned a profit. Shenmue II would have required every Dreamcast owner to buy the game twice, in order for the game to be profitable.

Shenmue III’s surprise announcement on PlayStation’s E3 stage back in 2015 was therefore met with a massive amount of surpirse, and excitement. The game’s Kickstarter (which was one of its primary forms of funding) quickly became the most funded video game Kickstarter of all time, having raised over $6 million from fans.

Yu Suzuki has previously stated that despite the 18 year gap between Shenmue II and III, that the series’ story is only about 50% complete, with him having envisioned the series ending with at least 5 games. Despite all the hurdles faced during the development of Shenmue III, it appears that Yu Suzuki still holds strong to these beliefs.

In the letter, Yu Suzuki stated “I sincerely hope that, together, we can continue to spin the tale of Ryo and his adventures in Shenmue IV”. Only time will tell whether Shenmue III manages to succeed enough to warrant a 4th game, although according to Yu Suzuki, the financial success of Shenmue III is less important than being able to secure the right partners, in his quest to complete the story of Shenmue.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you bought Shenmue III? Are you glad to see the series return after so long? How long do you think it will be before we see Shenmue IV? Let us know down below.

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Shenmue 3 Kickstarter backers can still request a Steam key but getting one isn’t guaranteed https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-kickstarter-backers-can-still-request-a-steam-key-but-getting-one-isnt-guaranteed/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-kickstarter-backers-can-still-request-a-steam-key-but-getting-one-isnt-guaranteed/#respond Mon, 23 Sep 2019 13:58:55 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=426979 Shenmue 3 caused some controversy earlier this year after moving away from Steam and opting to launch as an Epic Games Store exclusive. This can be easier to accept when fans haven't put money towards a game yet, but in the case of Shenmue 3, the game was heavily crowdfunded, leaving many PC backers disappointed. …

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Shenmue 3 caused some controversy earlier this year after moving away from Steam and opting to launch as an Epic Games Store exclusive. This can be easier to accept when fans haven't put money towards a game yet, but in the case of Shenmue 3, the game was heavily crowdfunded, leaving many PC backers disappointed. Refunds are now being offered to backers that want them, although interestingly, you can still request a Steam key- there is just no guarantee that you'll actually get one.

As part of the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter backer survey, those who backed the project can request which version of the game they want to receive- PS4 or PC. Alternatively, you can also request a refund that will be processed within three months. As part of the survey, there is an option to request a Steam key.

Ys Net is currently in talks with Valve in an effort to try and secure Steam keys for Shenmue 3. If these talks prove successful, then backers will get a Steam code at some point in 2020, likely after the Epic Games Store exclusivity period ends. However, if Valve and Ys Net are unable to come to an agreement, then those Steam keys won't be distributed.

With that in mind, if you actually want to play Shenmue 3 this year, then you are better off just going with the Epic Games Store code, or the PS4 version of the game. Steam availability is not guaranteed, so if your mind is set on only playing via Steam, then you might be better off just requesting a refund and waiting until Epic's exclusivity period ends.

Kickstarter backers have until the 3rd of October to fill out the survey requesting their version of the game, or opting for a refund. After that, everything else will be set in stone as we approach the game's November release date.

KitGuru Says: The refund/platform request process seems a tad messy for backers of the game but hopefully any remaining questions will be answered soon. After all, I doubt anyone would be too happy if they requested a Steam key and then found out that they won't be able to get one after the October deadline.

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Shenmue 3 PC backers will have two weeks to request a refund https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-pc-backers-will-have-two-weeks-to-request-a-refund/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-pc-backers-will-have-two-weeks-to-request-a-refund/#respond Mon, 09 Sep 2019 14:29:06 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=425070 There is always going to be some controversy when a game is taken off of Steam and turned into an Epic Games Store exclusive. However, the situation gets much worse when crowdfunding is involved. We’ve seen this happen once already with Phoenix Point, which ended up refunding backers. Now, Shenmue 3 is also going to …

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There is always going to be some controversy when a game is taken off of Steam and turned into an Epic Games Store exclusive. However, the situation gets much worse when crowdfunding is involved. We’ve seen this happen once already with Phoenix Point, which ended up refunding backers. Now, Shenmue 3 is also going to be an EGS exclusive. Backers of the project made their complaints heard loud and clear when this announcement was made during E3. In July, it was announced that refunds would be offered and now, we have details on how to act on that.

During the PC Gaming Show at E3, it was announced that Shenmue 3 would launch in November 2019, four years after being successfully crowdfunded by fans. Initially, those who backed for a physical or digital PC edition expected their version of the game to be tied to Steam. This is no longer the case. All digital and physical PC versions of the game will contain an Epic Games Store code.

Originally, the plan was to not offer any refunds to Kickstarter backers spurned by the last-minute change from Steam to EGS. However, after some discussion with Deep Silver and Epic Games, Ys Net has confirmed that backers will be offered refunds if they are unhappy with the situation. In some cases, a full refund may not be possible due to different rewards in certain tiers.

Later this month, Shenmue III backers will get an email survey informing them of their selected game version. You can choose to stick with the version you originally paid for, or change over. If you pre-ordered the PC version and don't want to switch over to PS4 or receive an Epic Games Store key, then you will be able to select a refund option as part of the survey.

The survey will run for two weeks, so there is a limited time to request your refund once the survey goes live. Ys Net also notes that refunds could take between 20 days and three months to process, so it could take a while to come through.

KitGuru Says: Crowdfunded games are always going to be under increased scrutiny, as the customers double up as the investors, even if they aren't investing in the legal sense. With that in mind, unexpected changes like Epic Games Store exclusivity can do a lot of damage. Refunds are being offered though, which seems like the right step to take in this case. Did any of you back Shenmue III when it was crowdfunding? Were you bothered by the change to Epic Games Store over Steam?

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Epic Games pledges to pay refunds for crowdfunded games switching to Epic Games Store https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/epic-games-pledges-to-pay-refunds-for-crowdfunded-games-switching-to-epic-games-store/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/epic-games-pledges-to-pay-refunds-for-crowdfunded-games-switching-to-epic-games-store/#respond Wed, 03 Jul 2019 11:00:23 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=417166 Last night, Ys Net announced that it would be offering refunds to Kickstarter backers who were unhappy with the Epic Games Store exclusivity deal. These exclusivity deals have been causing controversy for developers for months now but the situation gets amplified when crowdfunding is involved. While Epic Games won't be stopping its exclusivity push, it …

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Last night, Ys Net announced that it would be offering refunds to Kickstarter backers who were unhappy with the Epic Games Store exclusivity deal. These exclusivity deals have been causing controversy for developers for months now but the situation gets amplified when crowdfunding is involved. While Epic Games won't be stopping its exclusivity push, it will be funding the refund costs for crowdfunded studios that decide to partner with them.

Following on from the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter update, which announced refunds for backers, Epic CEO, Tim Sweeney, took to Twitter to announce that Epic Games will be “funding the cost of all Kickstarter refunds” resulting from Shenmue 3's EGS exclusivity. The thinking behind this is to ensure that Ys Net's remaining development budget isn't eaten up by refund requests.

This won't stop Epic Games from pursuing exclusivity deals with other Kickstarted projects though. Sweeney added that “when future games go Epic-exclusive after offering crowdfunding rewards on other PC stores, we'll either coordinate with colleagues at the other stores to ensure key availability in advance, or guarantee refunds at announcement time”.

So Epic Games Store exclusivity deals now guarantee a fat cheque upfront for the initial deal, which in some cases allows studios to profit before a game even goes on sale. Then if controversy kicks up, Epic will throw more money at the problem to ensure developers aren't hurt financially.

KitGuru Says: Epic Games Store exclusivity has been causing plenty of controversy but Epic continues to tackle these issues by throwing more money at them. That strategy doesn't exactly improve the public perception though as many are still against the idea of exclusives. Even so, it looks like Epic won't be backing off, so time will tell how well this strategy plays out in the long run.

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Shenmue 3 is now an Epic Games Store exclusive and backers aren’t happy https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-is-now-an-epic-games-store-exclusive-and-backers-arent-happy/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-is-now-an-epic-games-store-exclusive-and-backers-arent-happy/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2019 13:30:20 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=415512 There is always going to be some controversy when a game is taken off of Steam and turned into an Epic Games Store exclusive. However, the situation gets much worse when crowdfunding is involved. We’ve seen this happen once already with Phoenix Point, which ended up refunding man backers. Now, Shenmue 3 is also going …

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There is always going to be some controversy when a game is taken off of Steam and turned into an Epic Games Store exclusive. However, the situation gets much worse when crowdfunding is involved. We’ve seen this happen once already with Phoenix Point, which ended up refunding man backers. Now, Shenmue 3 is also going to be an EGS exclusive but the publishers behind the game are being stubborn on refunds. 

At the PC Gaming Show last night, it was announced that Shenmue 3 would launch in November this year, four years after initially being crowdfunded by fans. The catch is that the game is no longer going to be available on Steam and will instead only release on the Epic Games Store. According to Ys Net’s Kickstarter announcement, this decision was made between the studio and the game’s publisher, Deep Silver, in an effort to ‘do what’s best for the game’. 

As you would expect, a lot of people were up in arms over the announcement and many have begun requesting refunds. At this point in time, it doesn’t look like Kickstarter itself will be getting involved and refunds from Ys Net itself aren’t being offered to those who requested a Steam key when backing the game. 

Right now, Shenmue 3 still has a Steam Store page live, so it is possible that this will be a timed exclusive, similarly to another Deep Silver published title- Metro Exodus. 

KitGuru Says: If crowdfunded developers keep doing this, then it is going to be harder for future indie developers to get their own campaigns off the ground. Did any of you back Shenmue 3 during one of the several campaigns? How do you feel about the current situation? 

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Shenmue 3 crowdfunding surpasses $7.1 million in total https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-crowdfunding-surpasses-7-1-million-in-total/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-crowdfunding-surpasses-7-1-million-in-total/#respond Mon, 26 Nov 2018 08:30:24 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=396133 It has been just over three years since we first saw Shenmue 3 announced on Sony's E3 stage, promptly followed by a lengthy crowdfunding campaign. Currently, the game holds the top spot for the highest raising video game on Kickstarter. However, additional crowdfunding has been carried out over the last couple of years, bringing Shenmue …

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It has been just over three years since we first saw Shenmue 3 announced on Sony's E3 stage, promptly followed by a lengthy crowdfunding campaign. Currently, the game holds the top spot for the highest raising video game on Kickstarter. However, additional crowdfunding has been carried out over the last couple of years, bringing Shenmue 3's total to $7.1 million.

In a recently posted Kickstarter update, developer Ys Net revealed that to date, backers have raised $7,179,510 for Shenmue 3, spread across Kickstarter and other additional campaigns. Beyond that, the game will be coming out on the 27th of August 2019, meaning there are just ten months left to go in development.

Of course, crowdfunding isn't the only source of income for this project. Shenmue 3 also has the backing of Deep Silver, who will be acting as a publisher. Sony also has a hand in helping out, particularly on the marketing side. With that in mind, the game's total budget is likely quite a bit larger than the $7.1 million raised.

Shenmue 3 will finally be releasing in August next year, as long as no further delays come through. In the meantime, Sega re-released Shenmue 1 & 2 for modern consoles and PC earlier this year. These aren't particularly good remasters, but they should give you a taste of what's to come if you are intrigued by the series.

KitGuru Says: Shenmue 3 set records for crowdfunding on Kickstarter, although it is dwarfed somewhat by Star Citizen's $200 million campaign. Are any of you looking forward to Shenmue 3? Did any of you back the project? 

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Deep Silver finally sets a release date for Shenmue 3 https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/deep-silver-finally-sets-a-release-date-for-shenmue-3/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/deep-silver-finally-sets-a-release-date-for-shenmue-3/#respond Tue, 21 Aug 2018 12:30:20 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=384035 Although fans of the Shenmue series can rejoice at the prospect of a third entry, Shenmue 3 has suffered from numerous delays throughout its development. Fortunately, the folks over at Deep Silver can see the end in sight, announcing that the title will finally land on shelves August 27th, 2019. The announcement comes alongside a …

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Although fans of the Shenmue series can rejoice at the prospect of a third entry, Shenmue 3 has suffered from numerous delays throughout its development. Fortunately, the folks over at Deep Silver can see the end in sight, announcing that the title will finally land on shelves August 27th, 2019.

The announcement comes alongside a brand new trailer, showcasing the environments that a teenage Ryo Hazuki and his companion Ling Shenhua will traverse. Not much is given away in terms of story, but an outlandish prophecy is foretold of Ryo’s strength that could make or break him, while a dragon shall emerge from the Earth and a phoenix from the skies. The trailer also confirms the return of the infamous Lan Di, a recurring antagonist in the series.

Despite Shenmue 3’s successful crowdfunding garnering over $11 million in total, director Yu Suzuki revealed to Eurogamer that it would not be the full conclusion to the story as it would “lose its playability” and become more of a visual novel with the amount needing to be told. Suzuki explaining that Shenmue 3 is “not the final part” could indicate that more sequels will follow providing that Shenmue 3 is a success.

Shenmue 3’s release will approach the series’ 20-year anniversary after the original launched in December, 1999. A sequel followed two years later in September, 2001. Fortunately, Sega has given new and returning players something to keep themselves occupied with for the next year, releasing remasters of Shenmue 1 & 2 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC today, August 21st, 2018 for £24.99/$29.99.

KitGuru Says: Although I can’t say the trailer for Shenmue 3 screams modern graphics, it’s worlds above what was originally showcased. How do you feel about the wait for the next Shenmue instalment? Will you be getting it on release?

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Shenmue 3’s in-engine trailer divides fans https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/shenmue-3-in-engine-trailer-divides-fans/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/shenmue-3-in-engine-trailer-divides-fans/#comments Tue, 22 Aug 2017 19:07:00 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=344854 While fans will have a long wait on their hands for Shenmue 3, a new trailer has arrived showcasing the first in-engine footage from the upcoming title. While the video is likely to divide its fan base on what to expect, it is a blessing for those that backed the Kickstarter campaign in that the …

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While fans will have a long wait on their hands for Shenmue 3, a new trailer has arrived showcasing the first in-engine footage from the upcoming title. While the video is likely to divide its fan base on what to expect, it is a blessing for those that backed the Kickstarter campaign in that the game is making progress towards a final product.

Many have taken to criticise the newest trailer, noting that the graphics and style aren’t in keeping with the PS4 generation. Characters are blocky, emotions are static and textures do seem to fall flat. Of course, this isn’t all there is to games, as the Shenmue series is highly regarded despite being a commercial failure in terms of revenue. This cult following paved way for a successful crowdfunding campaign, making the third game possible.

Each Shenmue game has had a distinct art style and none have particularly gone the route of photo-realism. That being said, they have always been ahead of the curve in terms of aesthetic, which is why the visuals displayed in the trailer are all the more questionable.

A reason for this might be the value of nostalgia, which creator, Yu Suzuki, has pegged as the primary focus of Shenmue 3. “One of the themes, the main feelings that you get from the game is a feeling of nostalgia,” Suzuki told Eurogamer. “That's one of the special qualities of Shenmue, and the fact it was one of the first open world games. That theme, that feeling of nostalgia, continues in all the games.”

These visuals could be the make or break of the game, but it’s not all bad as the trailer undoubtedly features beautifully detailed landscapes shown via the new screenshots above, not to mention the wonderful track behind it. Shenmue 3 is set to arrive late 2018 after a delay, giving the developers a whole year using the new backing of publisher Deep Silver to give fans what they truly deserve.

KitGuru Says: With Shenmue 3 set to fully focus on nostalgia, I hope it doesn’t emulate its predecessor 2 much as the series has experienced enough development hell in its time. Here’s hoping that all that patience pays off for the fans. Did you back the upcoming game? Do you plan to buy Shenmue 3 next year?

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Shenmue 3 opens up for additional crowd funding through PayPal https://www.kitguru.net/professional/development/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-opens-up-for-additional-crowd-funding-through-paypal/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/development/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-opens-up-for-additional-crowd-funding-through-paypal/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:26:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=268281 There has been a lot of confusion surrounding the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter. At first, it was assumed that Sony would be footing a significant portion of the bill for development, considering the game's announcement on the Sony stage at E3. This idea was spurred along by the fairly small $2 million funding goal for the …

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There has been a lot of confusion surrounding the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter. At first, it was assumed that Sony would be footing a significant portion of the bill for development, considering the game's announcement on the Sony stage at E3. This idea was spurred along by the fairly small $2 million funding goal for the campaign. However, things quickly unravelled when Shenmue creator, Yu Suzuki revealed that the game would actually need north of $10 million at least.

The Kickstarter campaign went on to be what most would consider a success, raising $6,333,296 in total. Unfortunately, that's not enough and the Shenmue 3 team have opened up a second round of crowd funding, this time through PayPal.

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This new round of fund raising is being referred to as the ‘slacker backer' period and will last until the 31st of December. This will give those who didn't pledge during the initial Kickstarter a second chance to throw money at the project for PayPal rewards.

Additional cash will be put towards the vague but known stretch goals that are currently up on the Kickstarter page. You can read the full announcement from the development team on this Kickstarter Update post. 

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign seemingly got off to a strong start but things started to unravel after a few days. Sure, $6 million was raised but that definitely wasn't the final goal that the studio had in its head. Do you think opening up for a second round of crowd funding was the right move? Do you think Shenmue 3 will actually be able to raise much more money? 

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The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter is almost over, raised $5 million https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-shenmue-3-kickstarter-is-almost-over-raised-5-million/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-shenmue-3-kickstarter-is-almost-over-raised-5-million/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2015 15:30:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259100 The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign is about to end with just 60 hours left to go. Right now, the amount raised sits at just under $5 million as funding slowed down in the days following the campaign's announcement at Sony's E3 press conference. To celebrate the campaign coming to an end, a new trailer for …

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The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign is about to end with just 60 hours left to go. Right now, the amount raised sits at just under $5 million as funding slowed down in the days following the campaign's announcement at Sony's E3 press conference.

To celebrate the campaign coming to an end, a new trailer for the game was released, showing off some in-development footage. At the time of writing, 55,660 people have backed the campaign for Shenmue's long-awaited sequel. However, some mixed-messaging caused confusion which may have hindered the campaign a bit.

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When Shenmue 3 was announced, the internet was bombarded with hype but people quickly came to the realization that the $2 million funding goal was not all that realistic. It later came out that Sony would be providing some level of financial assistance, though series creator, Yu Suzuki admitted that the game was hoping to receive the bulk of its funding through Kickstarter.

It later came out that Yu Suzuki would actually need at least $10 million to create the ideal open world experience. Stretch goals up to that point were very vague and not particularly helpful to potential backers. That said, it is likely that we will see outside investors brought in to help fund the project.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Shenmue 3 is definitely coming out but it will be interesting to see how this Kickstarter campaign affects development. Particularly since the campaign seemingly didn't raise the amount the developer was really hoping for. 

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Brothers pledge $20K to Shenmue 3 to raise awareness for poor Chinese schools https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/brothers-pledge-20k-to-shenmue-3-to-raise-awareness-for-poor-chinese-schools/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/brothers-pledge-20k-to-shenmue-3-to-raise-awareness-for-poor-chinese-schools/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2015 20:44:19 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=257686 Two brothers who run a school in China have chosen to pledge $20,000 towards the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign in order to help spread awareness of underprivileged schools in China. These two brothers run a program aimed to teach English to young adults and children, with many students coming from small villages and may not …

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Two brothers who run a school in China have chosen to pledge $20,000 towards the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign in order to help spread awareness of underprivileged schools in China. These two brothers run a program aimed to teach English to young adults and children, with many students coming from small villages and may not be able to get to better schools.

Everything was detailed in a Shenmue Dojo forum post, where they explained why they chose to spend $20K backing a Kickstarter, rather than spending it on their own school: “We could have given $20,000 directly to building the school and it's programs but we feel that this pledge will lead to more exposure and support than what we could do through other mediums”.

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The $20,000 pledge means that the brothers will have dinner with Yu Suzuki twice, during which they want to ask to have someone be placed in the game as a non-hostile NPC: “We don't want to be a character attacking Ryo. They deserve to be recognised for their hard work. They are volunteers and many of them come from poor rice farms. We are also hoping that since we will be listed in the credits as a special sponsor that it can have our school with a logo and a website rather than our names”

In all, the brothers want to raise awareness of their school and hopefully end up bringing in extra funding to provide a better education. As for Shenmue 3, the campaign currently sits at just under $4.4 million with ten days left to go, making it unlikely that it will hit the $10 million Yu Suzuki had really hoped for.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Pledging $20K towards a game rather than your school is an odd business decision but if it ends up helping then fair enough, it still seems like a bit of a gamble though. Hopefully it all works out, it's a good cause after all. 

Via: Eurogamer

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Shenmue 3 now has stretch goals up to $11 million https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-now-has-stretch-goals-up-to-11-million/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-now-has-stretch-goals-up-to-11-million/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2015 12:41:53 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=256257 The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter has been a bit of a somewhat confusing campaign. The whole thing initially launched at E3 on Sony's stage, with Yu Suzuki asking for $2 million to fund the initial game. However, it later came out that the Shenmue creator actually wanted at least $10 million in order to start expanding …

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The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter has been a bit of a somewhat confusing campaign. The whole thing initially launched at E3 on Sony's stage, with Yu Suzuki asking for $2 million to fund the initial game. However, it later came out that the Shenmue creator actually wanted at least $10 million in order to start expanding on the open world experience.

Now, the campaign page has been updated with new stretch goals, letting potential backers know what they could get in to the game should more money be raised. New goals include added quests, missions, events and in-game systems.

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At $6 million, the battle system will be expanded on while at $6.5 million something called ‘ragdoll reaction' will be added in to the battle system. Honestly, all of the stretch goals are pretty vague and there isn't really any form of explanation for what a lot of these goals actually mean, which could make them a hard sell.

At $7 million the battle system will be expanded with ‘AI battling' and at $7.5 million there will be an additional ‘high ground battle system' added in, whatever that means. Beyond that, there are a lot of mini games being added in up until $8.5 million at which point parts of the map will be expanded on with new activities thrown in.

We already know that Shenmue 3 is actually going to need a lot more money than the Kickstarter is asking for, so if these extra goals are hit, we will likely see even more added. That said though, the crowd funding has slowed down significantly, currently sitting at $3.6 million raised with 20 days left to go. The bulk of that funding was raised within the first 24 hours of the campaign going live so it looks like Yu Suzuki may need to start looking at other sources of funding as it doesn't seem like the majority of it will be coming from Kickstarter.

You can see all of the new stretch goals, HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Shenmue 3 managed to generate a lot of hype during E3 week but it is easy to see that funding has slowed down quite a bit. The amount raised was sitting at $3.5 million total around four days ago, when we last reported on the progress of this particular campaign and has now hit $3.6 million.  Do you guys think Shenmue 3 will manage to hit $10 million on Kickstarter? 

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Shenmue 3 is going to need at least $10 million https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-is-going-to-need-at-least-10-million/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-is-going-to-need-at-least-10-million/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2015 15:28:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=255663 Last week at E3, the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign was announced live on Sony's stage. At the time, we didn't know much about the game's funding or its stretch goals but slowly, the full story has been making its way out. While the campaign kicked off with a $2 million funding goal, Shenmue 3's creator, …

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Last week at E3, the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign was announced live on Sony's stage. At the time, we didn't know much about the game's funding or its stretch goals but slowly, the full story has been making its way out. While the campaign kicked off with a $2 million funding goal, Shenmue 3's creator, Yu Suzuki, has revealed that ideally, he needs $10 million to make a fully open world game.

The Kickstarter first had a few stretch goals reaching from the $2 million mark up to the $3.5 million mark. However, the big ideas apparently won't implemented until the $5 million milestone, at which point, we will see the Baisha Village expanded.

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During a Reddit AMA session, Suzuki said “If we reach the $5 million mark, one of the things I really want to do with Shenmue 3 will become a reality”, he later said that Shenmue 3 will “truly have the features of an open-world” at the $10 million milestone.

Right now though, these bigger features are currently not known. Either way though, it sounds like Suzuki needs a lot more money to make this game good than we were originally led to believe. Which actually makes sense as the original Shenmue game cost around $47 million to make at the time.

Right now we know that while Suzuki is hoping to gain the majority of Shenmue 3's funding from Kickstarter, Sony will be contributing financially, although we don't know to what extent. For the time being, it seems like Sony's involvement is being downplayed in an effort to get as much money out of the crowd funding campaign as possible.

Either way, the Kickstarter campaign is going fairly well, although it has slowed down a little. The initial $2.5 million for the game was generated in less than a day. Now the amount raised sits at $3.5 million with 25 days left to go.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I do think that the campaign could have been a bit more upfront about how much money it really needed in order to make the Shenmue sequel everyone is really hoping for. After all, $10 million is quite a bit more than the initial $2 million the campaign sought after. On top of all that, we know Sony is financially involved but we don't know to what extent, which makes the whole thing a bit more confusing.

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Shenmue 3 has already surpassed its Kickstarter goal https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-has-already-surpassed-its-kickstarter-goal/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shenmue-3-has-already-surpassed-its-kickstarter-goal/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2015 19:23:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=254842 Shenmue 3 is a game fans of the series have been after for over a decade now but for whatever reason, it never came to be. However, the series is finally getting its revival with Shenmue 3 surpassing its Kickstarter goal in just a matter of hours after the initial announcement. Series creator, Yu Suzuki …

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Shenmue 3 is a game fans of the series have been after for over a decade now but for whatever reason, it never came to be. However, the series is finally getting its revival with Shenmue 3 surpassing its Kickstarter goal in just a matter of hours after the initial announcement.

Series creator, Yu Suzuki announced the crowd funding effort live at E3 on Sony's stage. Since then, the project has raised the initial $2 million needed and has even gone on to hit the first stretch goal, which sits at $2.6 million. The total amount raised keeps on climbing as well so it is possible that we will see all of the stretch goals hit before the campaign ends.

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Shenmue 3 is set to be the true sequel to the classic open world RPG titles. The game will be built in the Unreal Engine and land on the PC and PlayStation 4. As with all crowd funding campaigns, reward tiers range from $5 to $10,000, digital copies of the game sit in the $30 tier.

Stretch goals mainly cover subtitle languages, although if the campaign hits $3.2 million a ‘Rapport system' will be added, at $3.5 million we'll get a skill tree system and at $4 million we will see some mini games thrown in.

You can find the Kickstarter for yourself, HERE. 

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Shenmue has become something of a cult classic over the years so the announcement of Shenmue 3 has caused quite a stir, The Kickstarter has already reached its goals, now we just have to wait and see if all of the stretch goals can be met. Did any of you play the older Shenmue titles? Are you looking forward to Shenmue 3? 

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