The Shenmue III Kickstarter has secured more funding in the shape of a rare art print by John Sweeney, a concept artist for The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Proceeds from sales of the art piece up until July 17 will be donated directly to the Kickstarter initiative for Yu Suzuki’s highly anticipated action-adventure sequel.
Sweeney commented: "I’m so excited that Shenmue 3 is finally happening! I wanted to capture the moment just after Ryo’s father Iwao is killed by Lan Di. In the game the scene stops with Ryo cradling Iwao and screaming ‘No!’"
I wanted to imagine a shot where Ryo is standing just outside the dojo where is father was just killed," said Sweeney. "It is cold and very early in the morning. Snow is falling. The morning light is still weak and only some of the wood interior is catching light from the outside. Ryo’s pose already hints at him seeking revenge."
Fans can select from eight large prints and 100 smaller prints, with prices starting from £70. Expect to fork out more dough for framing and other related items.
Shenmue III was announced at Sony’s E3 2015 press conference and smashed its $2 million goal in less than 24 hours. The game became the fastest video game on Kickstarter to reach $1 million, and currently has stretch goals upwards of $11 million.
Developer Ys Net recently confirmed that a physical PS4 release has been added to the list of rewards, while Cory Marshall is set to reprise his role as Ryo Hazuki for the sequel.
Shenmue III is due out on PS4 and PC in December 2017.