Had you forgotten about record-breaking crowdfunding campaign, we’ve only been privy to several pieces of concept art and a few tech demos, but with 2017 (and the game’s tentative release date) drawing closer each day, all of that is hopefully about to change.
According to a recent interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu (translated by Gematsu), Suzuki says that development for Shenmue III is “headed towards full-scale production,” with the team hoping to share new details early in the new year. “Development is entering the final stage,” says Suzuki, adding that “early in the new year, I think we’ll be able to show you things such as new videos.” Furthermore, Suzuki confirms in the interview that pre-orders for the PC version of Shenmue III will open on December 15, a version which has “received a lot of requests,” according to the series creator.
Originally starting life all the way back in 1999 on the SEGA Dreamcast, the original Shenmue is considered a classic, having since achieved cult status among its fans. A sequel – Shenmue II – was released in 2001, with a third game planned to release shortly after. However, due to the sequel’s poorer-than-expected performance, the project was shelved until 2015, wherein Suzuki made an imioned appeal to the public to get the game made.
Shenmue III is due to launch on PlayStation 4 and PC towards the end of 2017. To help ease the wait, we’ve put a gallery together of various concept art images released so far, and you can check it out below.
Published: Dec 13, 2016 11:36 am