Ys Net has taken to Twitter (via GeekSnack) to announce that a progress update on the hotly anticipated Shenmue III will be issued next week fueling speculation that the action-RPG could turn up as part of Sony’s Paris Games Week offerings. Sadly, that’s about all we have to go on right now, although it’ll be the first major update on the PlayStation 4 and PC title for quite some time.
Shenmue III was formally announced after more than a decade of speculation at Sony’s E3 2015 press conference back in June, where creator Yu Suzuki 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.