The creator behind the Shenmue franchise has said that he’s targeting 30fps for the PlayStation 4 version of the hotly anticipated third entry in the action-RPG series.
Speaking with DualShockers, Yu Suzuki, who previously worked at SEGA and is responsible for creating arcade classics such as Hang-On, admitted that achieving 60fps for Shenmue III may be too difficult. “For the moment I’m thinking about 30 frames per second,” said Suzuki-san. “60 might be too difficult, but I’m not sure yet.”
The industry veteran is currently testing the Unreal Engine 4, which was picked due to its “portrayal of colors, the shaders and the rendering engine,” said Suzuki-san. “They’re close to the image I have for the world of Shenmue 3. Unreal Engine 4 allows me to portray what I think the humidity and the smell of the world should be. If you see a scene in the desert, you will feel the dry air of the desert. I feel that I can bring those abstract qualities of climate and atmosphere to life using Unreal Engine 4.”
Developer Ys Net confirmed that a progress update on Shenmue III will be issued next week, which just so happens to coincide with Paris Games Week. Shenmue III was formally announced after more than a decade of speculation at Sony’s E3 2015 press conference back in June, where Suzuki-san took to the stage to launch the game’s Kickstarter initiative. The campaign was hugely successful, becoming the fastest video game on Kickstarter to hit the one million mark, and ultimately went on to earn just over $6.3 million from eager fans. The sequel is scheduled for release in December 2017 and is receiving backing from Sony.
Fortunately, those of you who missed the initial Kickstarter campaign can still donate via the Slackbacker initiative recently set up by Ys Net. Looking to the future, it also seems like Shenmue III is unlikely to be the final entry in the cult franchise, although Suzuki-san has made it clear it’s far too early to talk about Shenmue 4. Long time fans will be pleased to know that the original voice actor for Ryo Hazuki, Corey Marshall, will be reprising his role in the game.
Shenmue was released in Japan for the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, and arrived in the west the following year. The sequel launched in late 2001, although in the U.S. the game was only available on the Xbox in 2002 following the demise of the Dreamcast. Not familiar with Shenmue? Then you might want to read up on our dedicated feature on six things that defined Suzuki-san’s cult classic.