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[Curufinwe]

Any idiot can tell 2m isn't enough to make the game. It was always to prove the demand was there. The Kickstarter did exactly what was needed.

$20m is more like it.

 

[harSon]

THIS GAME WOULDN'T EXIST IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

I hope people realize this, there's no way Shenmue III was going to ever be made without this Kickstarter. People are crazy to think a game company would willingly throw tens upon millions of dollars at a franchise that's:
1.Over a decade old
2. Very niche
3. Has a cult following, which is usually a very vocal minority

The Kickstarter basically served as an evolved form of an internet petition or survey asking "How much are you willing to pay to play this game?" It makes sense to me - if the cult following for this franchise really wants this game, then hey, put your money where your mouth is and prove it, that way we can feel a bit better about this and know that this passion project won't be a total financial failure that wins hearts & minds but doesn't make anything close to a profit.

I'm sorry, but I'm not buying that this game couldn't exist without Kickstarter. $2 million amounts to 33,333 units sold. You're trying to tell me that's the difference maker between a AAA game existing or not? I'm glad Shenmue III is being made, but let's be real here.

 

[Frank Serpico]

So they've basically turned Kickstarter into Pre order 2.0. Well played Sony. It'd be interesting to cross reference this thread with all the whining about MKX and Batman DLC.

Dat $10,000 pre order

 

[BlackBuzzard]

Guess what Phil Spencer could have done the same thing but instead he just whispers you sweet nothings. Sony actually took action and is putting their money where their mouth is.

They want to see the receipts i do not blame them. I remember when certain Vita games would be digital release only, then people said they were disappointed and wanted retail releases, so Sony released them for retail and they bombed. So Sony is asking those same gamers, to put their money where their mouth is.

 

[timlot]

Talk about having the hearts and minds of your fanbase. Sony has market cap of $35 Billion. Yet went to well with #saveshenmue

 

[Elios83]

Can't believe that so many people are just hiding their dissapointment for this to be a Playstation/PC exclusive trying to make illogical accusations that have no basis.

Why do you think that Yu Suzuki was on stage on the Sony conference?
Why do you think that it was given such importance by Sony?
Why the Kickstarter is just for PS4/PC?

If this was a totally independent Kickstarter Yu Suzuki would have started it by himself whenever he wanted on the platforms he wanted, but the reality is that you can't make such a game only with the kind of money you can get on Kickstarter.

Shenmue is a dead niche franchise left interrupted 15 years ago which was considered a financial failure even back than relatively to its huge budget (50m?).
Under these circumstances they only way to convince an investor (Sony) to invest in it and to try to understand how big they could go with this project was to gauge actual demand with people willing to pay for it.
Those who wanted to make this game a reality have pledged support with their money to make the game on PS4/PC.

There's nothing wrong with that.
So a few people should just say that they're bothered this is an exclusive, at least it would be more honest.

 

[andymcc]

So they've basically turned Kickstarter into Pre order 2.0. Well played Sony. It'd be interesting to cross reference this thread with all the whining about MKX and Batman DLC.

those games are from franchises that are guaranteed to sell millions where as shenmue is the game that people regularly stated would never even clear a million on kickstarter.

it's not that sort of parallel.

 

[GnawtyDog]

Transparency is always good. I do think however that transparency in this case would act as a disincentive to the funding goals and community engagement. So yes it's kind of sly but overall, bringing the game to fruit and securing funding from a partner as big as Sony is great.

I think the Kickstarter was perfect to not only gauge interest (from fans - which turns to Sony interest) but also make news worldwide and create some mindshare in the gaming sphere about a niche title with a cult following. Make it "bigger" than just an exclusive announcement....

All of it worked to perfection with the drawback being definitely a lack of transparency. You look at the positives and the negatives and the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Congrats to Shenmue fans. Looking forward to ride the hype train with you guys.

 

[Onimusha78]

I see this reaction as an extension of Sony's conference. Legendary

 

[FranXico]

Except for the part where Sony has obviously already committed to funding this project.

No they weren't. Obviously not, otherwise they wouldn't have done a kickstarter in the first place.

Since they were doubtful enough to require the kickstarter, they waited until the amount pledged hit the target before making any official support statement.

 

[FreddieQuell]

You can believe these thinly veiled excuses if you like. In a couple years once every company is doing the "Oh we HAD to do this to prove we could make money" nonsense it will start to ring more hollow . It just already has for me.

Okay, even if it is some marketing ploy. Backers are still (most likely) getting the game for less than retail price. That seems like a win for consumers, no?

 

[SkylineRKR]

But if no one funded it wouldn't that tell them there isn't really any interest and that they overestimated how much people care? Why would they still waste their money?

I expanded my post.

This just wasn't bound to fail. They launched this KS on the biggest stage with a relatively low goal.

 

[Uno Venova]

I'll say this. Something like this KS/Sony thing was bound to happen.

Let's take out ALL the risk for IP, risk the very thing they argue why they need it.

We are going to end up with the most perverse form of capitalism, a mirrorhouse reflection of communism.

Holy shit this thread.

 

[bryanee]

You are funding a game that does not requires funding. You are giving away your money to prove to some executives that the games is viable (as if there weren't better market analysis tools to reach the same conclusion)

You guys really would defend anything from your lovely corporations as long as they give you ur vidyagaems. This is why plutocracy is a thing.

Are you drunk? You're getting the game with the money you are pledging, you aren't giving away shit. In fact you're probably getting the game cheaper this way than you would at retail.

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

So if Sony is putting money on the table, why is the game out on PC ? Does anyone have a solid explanation ?

Because they feel sorry for Microsoft after this E3.

 

[EatinOlives]

Any idiot can tell 2m isn't enough to make the game. It was always to prove the demand was there. The Kickstarter did exactly what was needed.

A lot of people truly have no clue how much games costs. They certainly don't bother to put two and two together.

Debuts on Sony's stage + only a $2 million gold. I have a bridge to sell to anyone who seriously didn't think that Sony had a stake in this.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

Nintendo saves Bayonetta 2, funds it outright and announces the game = People raging, "Fuck Nintendo"

Sony 'saves' Shenmue 3, tells people to fund it themselves lol = People enraptured, "Based Sony!"

ok...

People said Fuck Nintendo about a game that was multiplatform and now a first party exclusive. But those idiots didn't realize Nintendo saved it from the dead.

Sony is HELPING raise this from the DEAD without a SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT seal on the cover.

Huge difference

 

[Erevador]

Shenmue 3 for 30 dollars... and people are enraged.

We have truly entered the twilight zone.

This thread really is part two of Bayonetta 2 Wii U exclusivity...

This thread is an apocalyptic disaster, and exactly the kind of thing that makes people not want to engage with gaming communities.

 

[Deleted member 80556]

The hell is this?

I think he means of what Sony is thinking. Sony wants to be the only console to have Shenmue 3.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

I just gave another 500 to make up for the babies in here pulling for no reason. There goes my future amiibo

Thank God for you.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Nintendo saves Bayonetta 2, funds it outright and announces the game = People raging, "Fuck Nintendo"

Sony 'saves' Shenmue 3, tells people to fund it themselves lol = People enraptured, "Based Sony!"

ok...

No more posts like these. This shit needs to stop and it needs to stop now.

People said Fuck Nintendo about a game that was multiplatform and now a first party exclusive. But those idiots didn't realize Nintendo saved it from the dead.

Sony is HELPING raise this from the DEAD without a SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT seal on the cover.

Huge difference

and no publisher wanted to touch bayonetta 2 either

 

[real_slime]

Sony Guy: Hello. The guys who made Shenmue would like to ask you to help them fund a new Shenmue game on Kickstarter. We're giving them a big stage to promote here at our press conference.

Ethical_Consumer: WHOAAAAAHHHHHHH SHENMUE III IS COMING OUT - WHAT? KS? SURE TAKE 2 MILLION IMMEDIATELY

Sony Guy: Huh, we didn't think you'd be that excited. Actually, we were thinking about funding the game but weren't sure if it would lose us a lot of money. What the heck - we're in!

Ethical_Consumer: Wait, what? No. fuck off Sony. fucking tactics again, trying to outsmart and hoodwink me. Pledge revoked.

Sony Guy: Oh. I guess you don't want Shenmue 3 after all...uhh...okay...


Shenmue 3 cancelled. Hooray!





I don't get it.

 

[A_Gorilla]

You are funding a game that does not requires funding. You are giving away your money to prove to some executives that the games is viable (as if there weren't better market analysis tools to reach the same conclusion)

You guys really would defend anything from your lovely corporations as long as they give you ur vidyagaems. This is why plutocracy is a thing.

Except YOU ARE GETTING THE FUCKING GAME BY FUNDING. YOU GET THE ENTIRE GAME FOR $29 ON YOUR CHOICE OF PS4 OR PC.

My God, think before you type.

 

[Dr. Black Jack]

Kickstarters *really* need to make it clear when their aim is only to gain major publisher support.

Sony announced it themselves during their biggest marketing blitz of the year. It's not rocket science.

 

[Veritigo_X]

This thread is something else. This E3 truly has delivered.

 

[Pikma]

This isn't like Sony going to kickstarter for Naughty Dog's next game. Sony does not own Shenmue 3.

What's the difference?

I think of this as Sony is a backer at the 2 million tier (or whatever they're throwing in the pot). Just like you get a physical disk, or a lunch with the creator, or a $10,000 jacket, Sony is opting for the console exclusive slot and there's only one opening.

Holy shit, that spin, you deserve the PR job tier

 

[freeofgreed]

So now that Sony has proven there is enough interest in the game they're going to cancel the Kickstarter and let everyone keep their money right?

 

[fantomena]

Suzuki is probably reading this thread now, cancels it because off all the complaining, now we must wait 14 years for another approach people will dislikes for some reason, so he cancels that way too and the circle of cancellation begins.

#cancelshenmuebecauseilluminati

 

[BronsonLee]

I just paid 29 Bucks for a studio budget game I've waited 1,5 decade for...

Yeah, I'm good, thanks.

Yeah, I'm of the same thought process.

Kickstarters aren't just about money anymore.

 

[jayu26]

I just gave another 500 to make up for the babies in here pulling for no reason. There goes my future amiibo

Lol, don't do it man. At this point it's getting made no matter what.

 

[TrebuchetGames]

Except for the part where Sony has obviously already committed to funding this project.

Perhaps the provisio was that they had to meet the kickstarter amount before any funding kicked in. You really think if the KS failed Sony would have spent millions on it... interesting. I think we can figure out that would not be the case. If you are going to make guesses, then I guess I can, and I think mine seems more reasonable.

 

[Kamina777]

Nintendo saves Bayonetta 2, funds it outright and announces the game = People raging, "Fuck Nintendo"

Sony 'saves' Shenmue 3, tells people to fund it themselves lol = People enraptured, "Based Sony!"

ok...

If you didn't have that avatar I wouldn't equate that to CW salt.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

People are so fucked. Now we're having a fit because of all this? Are these people the same people that waited 15 years for the game or what? Let's just be outraged over something, anything.

 

[Hypereides]

Its people's own choice whether they decide to support a project or not. Also, the partnership affair is likely more complicated than some than some posters like to imagine it to be.

Sony and Ys decided to involve the passionate fans and they're demonstrating their support. That fact this even came to be is surreal especially for a game which was considered hopeless.

A large deal of the critisism is unfounded given the lack of information surrounding the deal between Sony and the project.

 

[PdotMichael]

Shenmue 3 didn't need Kickstarter. The 15 years since Shenmue 2 are proof enough.

 

[And_Gignac]

Giving money away and... getting a game?

What?

(If anyone mentions a chance of the game failing to be done, Sony stepping in is better to minimize the risk)

There are people giving way more money than the retail price the game will have.

Wow at people really defending this. Do you guys think the only way Sony could measure interest for this game was through launching a faux kickstarter?

 

[Piggus]

ITT people essentially pre-ordered the game at a discounted rate and are now angry that, as a result of their pledge, the game will receive significant financial support, resulting in a much, MUCH better product.

Really good critical thinking skills, guys! Well done!

 

[Ushay]

Then what was the damn point of the kickstarter? To gauge response, there are other ways to do that, many other ways.

What the fuck.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

You can believe these thinly veiled excuses if you like. In a couple years once every company is doing the "Oh we HAD to do this to prove we could make money" nonsense it will start to ring more hollow . It just already has for me.

I wish more companies would do this and see what games people actually want, rather than churning out the same tired crap.

That's just me though, I prefer my opion rather than the option of a man in a suit seeing how many copies of FPS Adventure he can sell.

 

[chadskin]

I just gave another 500 to make up for the babies in here pulling for no reason. There goes my future amiibo

But it's a mega corporate billion dollar donation scam stahp

 

[Mass Effect]

So the Kickstarter was pure PR. Way to ruin it, Sony. I'm not supporting it like this, pledge pulled.

So

Option A: Help support a game of your dreams you'd never thought see the light of day in a million years, which will also get you the game at no extra cost.

Option B: Game doesn't exist.

And you pick B...

 

[ScatheZombie]

Nope, it's ok to fully crowdfund a game, what it's not ok is crowdfund a game that already has a publisher with enough money to fund it themselves, that's when it crosses the line.

Then you should probably avoid Kickstarter altogether. Because the majority of major game projects on Kickstarter are only looking for fraction of the real development costs. For some reason this came as a shock to people. I assume these people are just ignorant to how the game business works. Actually fully crowd-funding anything but a small indie project is basically impossible. The top Kickstarters ever (in terms of gaming) don't even hit $5m. That's not even enough for a mid-tier game (closer to $10m-$20m).

So where the fuck are they getting all of the rest of their funding? Investors. Sometimes it's a game publisher, sometimes its just some really wealthy man/woman/group that are looking to get their feet wet in video gaming. For one game I worked on, one of our private investors was, I shit you not, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

And the majority of these investors are already interested in the project before the Kickstarter even runs. Most game companies use Kickstarter as a last resort after they've already talked to every investor they can find. Some these investors have already said no. Others have said they will only invest if the company can show definitive market interest. And here we are.

This is how a huge number of Kickstarters work. Your ignorance to how the system works, and has worked, doesn't suddenly make this one 'shady' or 'not ok' because you just now realized what goes on behind the scenes and don't like it. This is the real world. Games cost more money than they can hope to crowd-fund in 31 days. Investors want assurances of minimized risk (market interest). Kickstarter provides this, as designed. You just either need to get over it or not participate.

 

[Apharmd]

So to the real Shenmue fans out there; are any of you actually outraged by this initiative?

Fuck no. I'm happy that it's getting made and I'm happy that Sony is going to be assisting Yu Suzuki on this. I'm very fucking happy that after fourteen years, something that I thought was pretty much completely impossible is actually happening.

And I have no happening gifs.

 

[amstradcpc]

I feel like I've fallen into some bizarre mirrorverse the way some people are trying to paint a narrative in which Shenmue is the hottest IP in video games and financiers have been lined up for years to fund it with gold bricks

most people complaining here has never entered a Shenmue 3 thread in his life.

 

[Darknight]

Yeah this thread is making me facepalm.


"Shemue 3 is happening, I've never played the series, but the funding doesn't feel right it shouldn't happen "


Bailingout.gif

Im getting the feeling its more about other things and not about Shenmue 3 at all.

Sony: "Hey guys, we got a surprise! Its Shenmue 3 via KS!!"
Gamer: "FFFFFFFF SHENMUE 3 OMG" *dies*
grumpy dude: "um why is there a KS for this? Sony is being shady!"
Gamer: "Dude, didnt you hear? SHENMUE 3 is HAPPENING!!" *man tears*
grumpy dude: "Hell no, everyone dont back this! Sony be stealing your money. NO! Cancel this shit stat!! Sega is the only Shenmue savior!!!"
Gamer: -_-
grumpy dude: "Shenmue began on Xbox, why they gotta money hat?"
Gamer: "okay there, ill take Shunmue 3 for $30, thanx"


Edit: Kiddin aside, get EDUCATED SON!

Then you should probably avoid Kickstarter altogether. Because the majority of major game projects on Kickstarter are only looking for fraction of the real development costs. For some reason this came as a shock to people. I assume these people are just ignorant to how the game business works. Actually fully crowd-funding anything but a small indie project is basically impossible. The top Kickstarters ever (in terms of gaming) don't even hit $5m. That's not even enough for a mid-tier game (closer to $10m-$20m).

So where the fuck are they getting all of the rest of their funding? Investors. Sometimes it's a game publisher, sometimes its just some really wealthy man/woman/group that are looking to get their feet wet in video gaming. For one game I worked on, one of our private investors was, I shit you not, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

And the majority of these investors are already interested in the project before the Kickstarter even runs. Most game companies use Kickstarter as a last resort after they've already talked to every investor they can find. Some these investors have already said no. Others have said they will only invest if the company can show definitive market interest. And here we are.

This is how a huge number of Kickstarters work. Your ignorance to how the system works, and has worked, doesn't suddenly make this one 'shady' or 'not ok' because you just now realized what goes on behind the scenes and don't like it. This is the real world. Games cost more money than they can hope to crowd-fund in 31 days. Investors want assurances of minimized risk (market interest). Kickstarter provides this, as designed. You just either need to get over it or not participate.

 

[Odrion]

And they're still letting it hit PC? Good guy Sony, treating PC Gamers better than Microsoft.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

I see this reaction as an extension of Sony's conference. Legendary

Any legitimate meltdowns yet, i.e. "Arrogant Sony" stuff?
I can't keep up.

 

[Sephzilla]

Wait am I supposed to be mad at this?

 

[Onimusha78]

Because they feel sorry for Microsoft after this E3.

Oh shit. This thread has me in tears

 

[Uno Venova]

I expanded my post.

This just wasn't bound to fail. They launched this KS on the biggest stage with a relatively low goal.

I do think they were' 99% sure this would all pan out. Just seems like a win/win for everyone though.

So now that Sony has proven there is enough interest in the game they're going to cancel the Kickstarter and let everyone keep their money right?

All you can do is laugh at this thread.