Shenmue 3 started off its impressive Kickstarter campaign with a surge of interest, quickly becoming the fastest game of all-time to hit $1m on the crowd-funded website. Shortly after it smashed through its initial $2million stretch goal, and Yu Suzuki set up some fresh stretch goals with a new target of $5m.
Now, the Japanese director is hoping to push the game even further with stretch goals going right up to $11m. Some of the new additions that will be added to Shenmue 3, should it hit certain targets leading up to that lofty goal, include rag-doll physics in combat, more mini-games and betting games, and new part-time jobs available for its lead character.
At time of writing, over $3.5 million has been raised by fans of the series keen to see a return of the quirky action-adventure. Following up on concerns about Shenmue 3’s close connection with Sony Computer Entertainment, who are said to supporting the project, Yu Suzuki assured fans that all money raised on Kickstarter is going directly into development, and he reassured backers that even if Shenmue 3 does not reach its crowd-funding ambitions he will not let them down.
“Even if these Stretch Goals are not reached, Shenmue 3 will already be a sequel true to its name, and one we can all be proud of,” he wrote on the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter page. It is my hope though, that together we can make this Shenmue just as revolutionary as the first two were.”