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Sony is officially helping with funding and development with Shenmue 3

andymcc

Banned
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.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=779516

most people didn't think this game could have been kickstarted, much less funded, by a games studio period.

(i love linking this thread)
 
Project teams aren't obligated to complete the project.
They are in fact obligated to complete the project, if the completed project is a pledge reward. Kickstarter rules state that all prizes must be awarded no matter what. If a company doesn't deliver, the people who Kickstarted it have a good case to sue the company. Admittedly, the Kickstarter rules do not say anything about quality, completion level, good use of the funds, so if something isn't working out, the developers could hack an ending onto the game as-is and give that to the pledgers.
 

Ocaso

Member
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.

Unfortunately you can't properly gauge interest in such a long dormant franchise by just asking around in forums. Talk is cheap. Kickstarter lets a publisher know that people are willing to put their money where their mouth is. While this was less than entirely transparent of them, it wasn't hard to put 2 and 2 together when you saw the goal amounts and the console exclusivity, and it should be clear that this game was definitely NOT getting made unless something unusual and drastic happened. Kickstarter is an opportunity for that.

I don't see why it's gross for Shenmue but not gross for Bloodstained or any other company that has used a similar tactic.
 

Rembrandt

Banned
Well, at least it's getting made. This was literally one of those situations where unless somebody stepped in, then it wasn't going to happen. Tons of people wanted it, so I'm glad the third one is happening. I'll definitely grab it.
 
Not super surprising, glad to see the game is going to be made with a full budget honestly.

Also really enjoying this new trend of console exclusivity while porting to the PC, will definitely support Sony/Microsoft if they continue this trend.
 

Kaizer

Banned
How do you know it will be "tens of millions" from Sony? Because I think that's highly unlikely. And assuming "tens of millions" was the case this would make no sense at all; it makes much more sense on the scale of "you guys show you can make a few million, and we'll pitch in another few million along with marketing/tech support to bring it along." Because raising a few million on a Kickstarter says nothing about the game's ability to sell on the scale required to justify a tens of millions of dollars in investment. I'm not sure where the idea that this game is going to have some massive budget is coming from. Do we even have any idea of the staffing numbers?

Well, of course, we're not sure of the exact amount being put into the game, considering as how Shenmue II cost $47 million to make, if this game is truly going to be the next game in the franchise, I would think it'd be getting a similar budget.
 

4Tran

Member
Yea it's like the company has no analytics/marketing/financial teams to figure anything out. Lol
They do. And those beancounters came up with the reasonable conclusion that Shenmue is a money loser. That's why they went to Kickstarter to see if it's still worthwhile to make the game.
 
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.
And what about when this method is used for actual risky games. Things big publishers would normally ignore because it's safer to just make another call of duty? I think it has its perks and merits, letting us vote on what games we actually want to see. Rather than them just assuming it's not worth it to spend their money on risky games.
 
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.
Yup. I also think it will hurt future video game Kickstarters if this becomes a thing with Sony, Microsoft, EA, Activision, etc.

But whatever, video games aren't my main use of Kickstarter, so if it burns itself down, I (probably?) won't be too bothered with it.

This thread really is part two of Bayonetta 2 Wii U exclusivity...
I must have missed where Nintendo asked for crowd-funding for Bayonetta 2. Link?
 

xxracerxx

Don't worry, I'll vouch for them.
This thread is bonkers. I am out.

EtJE2tv.gif


http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=779516

most people didn't think this game could have been kickstarted, much less funded, by a games studio period.

(i love linking this thread)

HAHA, hot damn.
 

Pandy

Member
So to the real Shenmue fans out there; are any of you actually outraged by this initiative?
Owner of Shenmue I and II on Dreamcast.
Yes, I said this was shady from the start. If business arrangements are already in place, the full details should be added to the KS page immediately. I've Kickstarted games before where the funding was 'to gauge interest' but in those cases there was no existing agreement with a publisher.

How much are Sony contributing? How much would it have taken take to get Sega involved? $10 million, $20 million, $50 million?

I have a far bigger problem with the apologists calling the rest of us 'whiners' when they have no more idea about the circumstances of the deal than the rest of us.
 

And what? It means they still have nothing to do with this game besides handing over money and resources. This isn't boxed for Sony Computer Entertainment Studios.

This is boxed under who ever this mysterious publisher for this game will be. What are you not understanding. Sony does not OWN this
 
Project teams aren't obligated to complete the project. Up until last week noone was even stepping in against the more blatant "fund all my daily expenses while I do nothing to develop on my promises." Projects can and do fail.

Here's the biggest gaming related failure reported by Kotacku. Many more in the link

Hence why I used the word role instead of obligation, and why I mentioned the risk involved with kickstarter later. It's by no means a guarantee, but this is a low risk project since Sony is involved so I felt that it was a worthwhile project to fund.
 
People need to understand it's been over a fucking decade since Shenmue 2, a full blown Shenmue 3 would cost a shit ton of money and they had no idea if it was still a viable franchise to revive. Petitions and forum/twitter posts don't mean shit, you gotta out your money where your mouth is and kickstarter is the ultimate form of that.



Give me a goddamn Onimusha 5 kickstarter, it's the only way it's gonna get made nowadays.
 
Huh? 15 years is proof no publisher wanted it. They said themselves KS was what made this game possible.

Crazy talk. There were more than enough publishers which were ready to pay for it but they just waited until Kickatarter became a thing and to lose unecessary money this way.
 
It was obvious from the start, so hopefully this means there will be a physical PS4 release, which means I will withhold donating to the kickstarter.
 

hey_it's_that_dog

benevolent sexism
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...

When someone makes a post like this, the mods should demand they provide the names of two specific users (because "people" is plural) who have praised one company and bashed another for the same action. If the poster cannot do this, they should be banned.
 
Well, of course, we're not sure of the exact amount being put into the game, considering as how Shenmue II cost $47 million to make, if this game is truly going to be the next game in the franchise, I would think it'd be getting a similar budget.
Eh, I understand that line of thinking, but I think it's entirely that this will exist on a slightly smaller scale while still delivering the story and gameplay that people want. I really don't think this is going to exist on a 50+ million scale. Would this studio even be able to support a project like that?
 

Koren

Member
How do you know it will be "tens of millions" from Sony? Because I think that's highly unlikely.
Partly this...

I fail to see how the support of 30k backers make a big difference in the decision of doing or not doing a game. It's not "hey, we'd like to throw 20 million in a game, let's see whether it'll be a success by asking to a couple ten thousands fans if they'll buy it".

I can see a publisher investing as much (or twice as much) the money gathered by the kickstarter for a game (like the recent Igavania, and that still remain to be seen whether they'll really invest 5-6 millions), but not tens of millions.


Either (A) it's a test to see whether there's demand, and they'll throw several millions (but not tens of millions).

Or (B) the kickstarter is just clever marketing (and not interest check) and their intent has always been to invest tens of millions no matter what, because the kickstarter can't tell them much about the outcome of the project.


I can understand the first situation, but not too fond of the second strategy (and to people saying Shenmue III wouldn't exist without the kickstarter, I don't think it's obvious if it's the (B) case here... but at the same time, I'm leaning towards (A) ).
 

Replicant

Member
The kickstarter is for PC Version on top of gauging interest, I'm guessing. That explains why no hard copy of the PS4 version. Sony will release the hard copy PS4 version themselves.
 
We don't know what Sony's involvement is, but if it's some form of cash I say Sony should just back out and let the game be made with a few million $ and those complaining can take a worse game ... I mean what are people expecting out of a game made with a few million $... if they were expecting a big game which is anything like the originals I think they need to re-evaluate their knowledge of game dev (let me point you in the direction of double fine and how much they spent on Broken Age for an adventure game).
 

HoodWinked

Member
honestly they should just have some transparency from the beginning.

but really its good that sony did this because the shit storm involved if ms did the same thing would have been so disproportionate.
 

Khayam

Banned
Guys, what if you have it all backwards ?

My guess is that Yu was going to launch a KS campaign for Shenmue 3 anyway. He already has the rights, he doesn't need anyone. And he was probably motivated by all the recent success like Bloodstained. And they would have campaigned for a PC only release (look at the KS campaign, the emphasis is completely on PC, not PS4).

Sony heard of this and went to Yu. They offered to give them E3 exposure and offered to pitch in for the financing on the condition that 1/ the goal is reacher and 2/ the game comes to PS4 as a console exclusive.

And that's pretty much it. It completely makes sense.
 

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
considering you are getting a copy of the game from whatever you decide to put into the kickstarter, there's not much you are being "scammed" on here.

2 million is a laughable amount to fund a game like this. it wasnt getting made for 2 million. it needs 10 times or more than that amount.
 

joecanada

Member
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.

yes and do you know of other ways to gauge legitimate interest without spending a shitload on market research and while actually creating some working captial for the project?

I'll wait, I have a pen and paper.
 
Owner of Shenmue I and II on Dreamcast.
Yes, I said this was shady from the start. If business arrangements are already in place, the full details should be added to the KS page immediately. I've Kickstarted games before where the funding was 'to gauge interest' but in those cases there was no existing agreement with a publisher.

How much are Sony contributing? How much would it have taken take to get Sega involved? $10 million, $20 million, $50 million?

I have a far bigger problem with the apologists calling the rest of us 'whiners' when they have no more idea about the circumstances of the deal than the rest of us.

I don't mean to be pedantic (I think that's the right word) but why does any of that matter? Backers get the game for less than the retail price and it wouldn't have been made without them.
 
And I don't regret a penny of it, sucker.

I'll be getting my physical PC edition with OST and artbook, plus my name in the credits. The only thing I've been debating is if I want to UP my pledge at this point. XD
No stop!!!!!! You're being exploited!! Let me be your knight in shining armor and save you from this!!
 
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