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I don't agree. Who would jump into Shenmue 3 without the background from the first two games. The average gamer won't do research on a games story just to play it. I think more people would buy it if they have access to the whole set. I can't imagine it being that much uglier then the many PS2 remastered games we already have.

I'd argue that newcomers would be better off watching the videos they'll be working on that covers the story of the first two games if they are interested in the third game. There are posts from several people who donated to the KS who haven't even played the first 2 games.

And how many people do you think played the Witcher 1 & 2 before played TW3? Surely a reasonable chunk of people who bought TW3 didn't play the first two games and, given that the first 2 games haven't aged super well (well, TW2 is perfectly fine if a bit clunky but TW1 hasn't held up well at all), it was probably for the best that they just read up or watched the story for the first 2 games and bought the third. Maybe even beneficial given that the older games may have turned them off on the idea of buying TW3.

 

[Rymuth]

Sony should have invested to make more vita games instead of funding another PS4 game! Now Sony Looks like they are The beroes of This E3 and that they are for gamers because of This, but The Reality is that they don't Care about their gamers at least not their Vita gamers!

You forgot to add 'in my opinion,

What happened, DarkTriforce? Having an off day?

 

[EatinOlives]

There was absolutely no need for the kickstarter imo. If anything I think would have made an even bigger impact if they just announced it as a console exclusive.

This tells me Sony and Sega are unsure of the details at this stage. The kickstarter was purely to gauge interest.

Gauge interest and subsidize the cost.

Kickstarter is for products that wouldn't have been made without crowd funding. Shenmue 3 wouldn't have been made without crowd funding. Therefore, this is a valid use of KS.

 

[IrishNinja]

Feel free to believe whatever you want, but you can't treat your belief as indisputable fact.

I can - and do! - when it's the creator, not a number loosely regurgitated for a decade that was poorly cited to begin with.
if you think Suzuki's lying...well, okay! me, i think he'd know better than anyone, since it's his baby & he's been at it since Project Berkeley and all.

 

[B_Boss]

Alright GAF, coming to XB1 someday or nah? I speculate it will someday but it is absolute speculation (with a possible lack of understanding of the business side of gaming development no less lol). I also suspect FF7 will also come to XB1 someday as well.

 

[King Beyond the wall]

Alright GAF, coming to XB1 someday or nah? I speculate it will someday but it is absolute speculation (with a possible lack of understanding of the business side of gaming development no less lol). I also suspect FF7 will also come to XB1 someday as well.

With sony partially funding shenmue 3 I would doubt we will see a X1 version. A x1 version of Final Fantasy 7 is more likely, but still very unlikely I think due to how horrendous type 0 did on Xbox and the fact the console is a non entity in one of the biggest markets (Japan) and minimal in much of Europe.

PC version for both these games is certain though, I would say.

 

[B_Boss]

With sony partially funding shenmue 3 I would doubt we will see a X1 version. A x1 version of Final Fantasy 7 is more likely, but still very unlikely I think due to how horrendous type 0 did on Xbox and the fact the console is a non entity in one of the biggest markets (Japan) and minimal in much of Europe.

PC version for both these games is certain though, I would say.

Thanks for the well reasoned response. I never thought of it from that perspective.

 

[Kirlia]

This is such a mystery to me. I can only guess that Sony has the physical publication rights in exchange for their contribution to the project, and...

1) Can't/won't give physical copies to the kickstarter in order to maintain its viability at retail, because stores might not stock it otherwise.

2) Sony has some standards about the amount of content that they'll put on a physical release vs. a digital release, and unless the game ends up with a high enough budget to make it a retail-level release, they won't publish it physically.

Whatever happens, you're writing the strategy guide for the game. Versus Books will rise again.

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

I love how it's only the backseat analysts that feel fans are being "exploited", not the fans themselves. I wonder how many of these whiners backed Bloostained a few weeks back? People are giving money of their own free will because Shenmue III would never happen otherwise (see: the last 14 years). Your negativity is a joke.

Yep.

 

[SKINNER!]

Probably been asked but any advice would be appreciated

I'm interested in paying the $175 pledge but I got a question about the "Special PC case/packaging". See if I select the PS4 digital copy, am I still gonna be getting the PC case packaging since I'm paying over $60 or will I not be eligible for it since I selected the PS4 digital copy?

Cheers

 

[thepeaguy]

I'm glad to see the entitled of the internet are in top form as always. You can never please these losers.

 

[Cave Johnson]

From all the work AM2 was doing at the end of Shenmue 2, working on generating enormous, organic forests, and what they said in the livestream about taking place in smaller villages, I think it's pretty obvious this one takes place in rural, wooded china.

I am curious to see what Yu Suzuki's forest simulation algorithms look like. Shenmue I and II were awesome because they did 2 very different things - Shenmue I was an insanely intricately detailed tiny city, where everything was scripted for months upon months down to the smallest detail. Shenmue II was, of course, a full simulation of one of the largest cities on the planet. It's neat that they're doing something different yet equally ambitious with Shenmue III. There are videos recently of Yu Suzuki talking about how they generated forests at the end of shenmue II and where the tech would have eventually gone, and how he had created this system to store ridiculously huge, detailed forests into tiny pieces of code that resided a very little space in memory. Crazy stuff, especially for 2000.

I have no idea what type of odd jobs they'll have this time. But man I can't wait. This is going to be so freaking cool.

As someone who grew up in Hong Kong, I am extremely impressed how accurate the representation of the atmosphere was back in the 80's from contrasting the market area in Wan Chai all the way to the brownish interior of the mall. I go back playing at times to suck in the atmosphere. Although I've never got the chance to see the actual walled city (only read features about it in The Bourne Supremacy), comparing the pictures on google made me feel how authentic the experience was when playing the game. They fucking NAILED the building interiors, which then was only matched by Resident Evil 6 night market section.

Attention to detail, simulated city, on a dreamcast no less. That ending really made me go nuts though.

 

[Theonik]

Attention to detail, simulated city, on a dreamcast no less. That ending really made me go nuts though.

Best part about the city, was it was generated, not created. They had a system that was able to dynamically generate functional 'magic rooms' which they used to be able to fit the game on GD-ROM which were what made the game possible.

 

[Inuhanyou]

Its surprising just how many people think this game is being made for 2 million dollars, not 20 million.

 

[Squalor]

Its surprising just how many people think this game is being made for 2 million dollars, not 20 million.

I'd guess greater than that, too, maybe 25-28 million.

The people who are complaining are the ones would didn't and would never donate to a Kickstarter, anyway, so it really makes no sense.

People are always looking for a way to show their ignorance.

 

[Endo Punk]

Having a big publisher behind the game really eases my mind. It's definitely happening and in a very big way!

 

[Krejlooc]

As someone who grew up in Hong Kong, I am extremely impressed how accurate the representation of the atmosphere was back in the 80's from contrasting the market area in Wan Chai all the way to the brownish interior of the mall. I go back playing at times to suck in the atmosphere. Although I've never got the chance to see the actual walled city (only read features about it in The Bourne Supremacy), comparing the pictures on google made me feel how authentic the experience was when playing the game. They fucking NAILED the building interiors, which then was only matched by Resident Evil 6 night market section.

Attention to detail, simulated city, on a dreamcast no less. That ending really made me go nuts though.

There was once a site deciated to comparing shenmue's kowloon to photos of the real walled city and showing how close some of the locations were. The church deep in the heart with the green illuminated walls that got no sunlight in particular was very close to the actual photos.

 

[evil ways]

Before E3: "Those evil companies like Activision, Ubi Soft and EA releasing the same yearly franchises"

*Sony announces Shenmue 3*

After E3: "That evil Sony using Kickstarter to gauge intrest in reviving a 14 year old dead franchise beloved by fans."

I swear, this is why we can't have nice stuff in gaming.

 

[Krejlooc]

After E3: "That evil Sony using Kickstarter to gauge intrest in reviving a 14 year old dead franchise beloved by fans."

Those same people are the ones who were loudly proclaiming days before that nobody wanted a new Shenmue period.

Which is to say, they have no fucking idea what they are talking about.

 

[Theonik]

The worst part is we are getting mounting confirmation that Sony is in fact not supporting the project more than they are other Indie games in nature, so we basically had all this backlash for nothing.

 

[test_account]

The worst part is we are getting mounting confirmation that Sony is in fact not supporting the project more than they are other Indie games in nature, so we basically had all this backlash for nothing.

Is there any more info regarding this?

 

[GhostTrick]

The worst part is we are getting mounting confirmation that Sony is in fact not supporting the project more than they are other Indie games in nature, so we basically had all this backlash for nothing.

The worst part is that people still dont get this and that the Kickstarter is CRUCIAL for the game. :/

Sony is getting the bad role for being the mean publisher while they're providing help, although the kind of help any indie is getting, and Shenmue 3 kickstarter mightbe losing momentum :/

People just misunderstood the "gauge interest" thing. They think that, now that the game reached the 2m, it'll be fully funded regardless of anything. But it was to gauge interest that gamers would fund such a game. :/

Is there any more info regarding this?

I think Adam Boyes and other people at Sony have been pretty clear on that matter. The only fact that it is their 3rd party production that is doing that should be pretty much telling.

 

[harSon]

With sony partially funding shenmue 3 I would doubt we will see a X1 version. A x1 version of Final Fantasy 7 is more likely, but still very unlikely I think due to how horrendous type 0 did on Xbox and the fact the console is a non entity in one of the biggest markets (Japan) and minimal in much of Europe.

PC version for both these games is certain though, I would say.

If Final Fantasy 15 and Kingdom Hearts is coming to XB1, then Finaly Fantasy 7 is going to as well. Stuff like Star Ocean and Nier 2 are understandable, since they're not juggernaut gaming franchises in general.

 

[David___]

If Final Fantasy 15 and Kingdom Hearts is coming to XB1, then Finaly Fantasy 7 is going to as well. Stuff like Star Ocean and Nier 2 are understandable, since they're not juggernaut gaming franchises in general.

Not really. According to Kagari Sony is helping with FF7 the same way they are with SF5.

 

[DidntKnowJack]

Let me put it this way. I'm way more comfortable with Sony getting behind this than Sega.

 

[LegendofDragoonLives]

If Final Fantasy 15 and Kingdom Hearts is coming to XB1, then Finaly Fantasy 7 is going to as well. Stuff like Star Ocean and Nier 2 are understandable, since they're not juggernaut gaming franchises in general.

Those deals were made before PS4 started curbstomping everyone and X1 bombed far worse than the 360 in Japan. My guess is SE and Sony are working money details on what happens next.

 

[Boke1879]

The worst part is that people still dont get this and that the Kickstarter is CRUCIAL for the game. :/

Sony is getting the bad role for being the mean publisher while they're providing help, although the kind of help any indie is getting, and Shenmue 3 kickstarter mightbe losing momentum :/

People just misunderstood the "gauge interest" thing. They think that, now that the game reached the 2m, it'll be fully funded regardless of anything. But it was to gauge interest that gamers would fund such a game. :/






I think Adam Boyes and other people at Sony have been pretty clear on that matter. The only fact that it is their 3rd party production that is doing that should be pretty much telling.

Don't even be sad. The game is funded so it's getting made. Don't worry about the slow momentum. Unfortunately most Kickstarters go through this stage.

What they need to do now is add more rewards. Honestly, add a physical PS4 version for $60 and I bet you see a lot of people up their pledges based on that alone. And don't worry we'll get another explosion in the final 48 hours. I can see this ending somewhere above 5 million. Don't worry. Shenmue 3 is happening and there is nothing a hater or detractor and do about it

 

[GhostTrick]

Don't even be sad. The game is funded so it's getting made. Don't worry about the slow momentum. Unfortunately most Kickstarters go through this stage.

What they need to do now is add more rewards. Honestly, add a physical PS4 version for $60 and I bet you see a lot of people up their pledges based on that alone. And don't worry we'll get another explosion in the final 48 hours. I can see this ending somewhere above 5 million. Don't worry. Shenmue 3 is happening and there is nothing a hater or detractor and do about it

Well, Shenmue 3 is happening but its just sad to think that some people made it as a bad thing. Not only that, but the game really needs the money to be a true Shenmue experience. It just makes me want to up my pledge even though I'm already 100 dollars in.

 

[AlucardGV]

Alright GAF, coming to XB1 someday or nah? I speculate it will someday but it is absolute speculation (with a possible lack of understanding of the business side of gaming development no less lol). I also suspect FF7 will also come to XB1 someday as well.

i think ff7 remake is too big to skip platform, but it's up to how ff15 perform on xbone. shenmue is probably locked on ps4/pc, like grim fandango, another sony/third party collaboration. and sf5, but we still can see a ultra sf5.

 

[Maligna]

Well, Shenmue 3 is happening but its just sad to think that some people made it as a bad thing. Not only that, but the game really needs the money to be a true Shenmue experience. It just makes me want to up my pledge even though I'm already 100 dollars in.

Get that $3000 jacket, yo.

But seriously, I'm super concerned now. The common thought on the internet now seems to be, "Sony's got this, we don't need to put any more money into this kickstarter." But that can't be farther from the truth. Yu has said the majority of this game's budget is coming from the kickstarter campaign. If we want a great game, it has to make as much money as possible.

 

[Aki-at]

Is there any more info regarding this?

I believe in an interview with Famitsu Yu Suzuki stressed that the majority of funding is coming via Kickstarter. In another interview (I believe a French one) a guy from Shibuya Productions said it was up to him to search for more investment into the project.

So Sony's funding is going to be pretty minimal. We don't even know what "funding" means, maybe it means free tools? Discount on license fees? Or even hard cash?

Well, Shenmue 3 is happening but its just sad to think that some people made it as a bad thing. Not only that, but the game really needs the money to be a true Shenmue experience. It just makes me want to up my pledge even though I'm already 100 dollars in.

Yeah I know what you mean, we haven't even past the first village's stretch goals that it makes me worried if we can get past the third one if the stretch goal for that is like $12 million. I wouldn't want the Shenmue 3 experience to be solely about the narrative and less about the overall experience :/

But everyone thinks the project is being funded by Sony when it's not even close to being true, just some misinterpretation from the various people attached to or promoting the project.

 

[Withnail]

The worst part is that people still dont get this and that the Kickstarter is CRUCIAL for the game. :/

Sony is getting the bad role for being the mean publisher while they're providing help, although the kind of help any indie is getting, and Shenmue 3 kickstarter mightbe losing momentum :/

People just misunderstood the "gauge interest" thing. They think that, now that the game reached the 2m, it'll be fully funded regardless of anything. But it was to gauge interest that gamers would fund such a game. :/


I think Adam Boyes and other people at Sony have been pretty clear on that matter. The only fact that it is their 3rd party production that is doing that should be pretty much telling.

Exactly. This is a self published indie, which is basically getting the pub fund treatment from Sony. This means a cash advance in return for short term exclusivity, it does not mean the project is now home and dry financially! I think Ys Net will have to start being open about the situation because the ambiguity surrounding Sony's involvement is going to hurt the Kickstarter.

 

[Abdiel]

If Final Fantasy 15 and Kingdom Hearts is coming to XB1, then Finaly Fantasy 7 is going to as well. Stuff like Star Ocean and Nier 2 are understandable, since they're not juggernaut gaming franchises in general.

Japanese games sell terribly on the Xb1, and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see FFvii only come to ps4 with pc awhile later. There's even an interview where they say the remake is to help boost sales of the ps4 in Japan. I don't know how much worse the xb1 could do in Japan. It sold 100 last week there.

 

[Maligna]

But everyone thinks the project is being funded by Sony when it's not even close to being true, just some misinterpretation from the various people attached to or promoting the project.

The OP to this topic needs to be updated, and the major gaming sites that reported Sony are funding need to put up a new story that the kickstarter is actually key to this project.

 

[Gestault]

I think Ys Net will have to start being open about the situation because the ambiguity surrounding Sony's involvement is going to hurt the Kickstarter.

I do think stretch goals for other platforms would help more people feel involved. I would have immediately grabbed a physical PS4 copy if it was offered, but I chose the lower tier just for practical reasons. It has to be similar for other people who are set into different platforms. That was one of the successes of the Mighty No. 9 kickstarter: They covered every platform they could through stretch goals, so more people were happy to back it.

 

[Pathfinder]

I do think stretch goals for other platforms would help more people feel involved. I would have immediately grabbed a physical PS4 copy if it was offered, but I chose the lower tier just for practical reasons. It has to be similar for other people who are set into different platforms. That was one of the successes of the Mighty No. 9 kickstarter: They covered every platform they could through stretch goals, so more people were happy to back it.

Agreed. There's going to be a finite number of PS4/PC gamers that are going to be interested in Shenmue III. Once they've all donated, that's it.

It would behoove them to expand to other platforms.

 

[Aki-at]

The OP to this topic needs to be updated, and the major gaming sites that reported Sony are funding need to put up a new story that the kickstarter is actually key to this project.

For sure, I've been correcting it in the main thread that Sony are not footing the bill nor are they saving the project. It's getting worrying I have to keep correcting people when they say "what's the point of donating?" because the narrative has become that Sony will pick up the project.

If Sony was going to fund this project it would not have hit Kickstarter.

 

[Gestault]

Agreed. There's going to be a finite number of PS4/PC gamers that are going to be interested in Shenmue III. Once they've all donated, that's it.

PC helps a lot though, even if something like a Linux build would be a nice nudge.

 

[Sponge]

So they bought Shenmue? Lol, what a crazy time.

Any confirmation that Sega is even involved in this? It's their IP and I haven't heard Sega's name dropped once.

 

[Pathfinder]

PC helps a lot though, even if something like a Linux build would be a nice nudge.

As would Mac and Xbox One.

 

[Krejlooc]

Any confirmation that Sega is even involved in this? It's their IP and I haven't heard Sega's name dropped once.

...their logo is on the trailer

 

[LizardKing]

Exactly. This is a self published indie, which is basically getting the pub fund treatment from Sony. This means a cash advance in return for short term exclusivity, it does not mean the project is now home and dry financially! I think Ys Net will have to start being open about the situation because the ambiguity surrounding Sony's involvement is going to hurt the Kickstarter.

Sony really should have kept their mouths shut if they aren't going to be funding a large amount and significant portion of this thing. Really did a disservice to Shenmue fans, people think what's the point of donating now. I guess they felt they had to take advantage of the upswell of goodwill that is surrounding it but that backfired.

 

[Sponge]

...their logo is on the trailer

I have to be blind then because I completely missed that.

 

[Pathfinder]

Sony really should have kept their mouths shut if they aren't going to be funding a large amount and significant portion of this thing. Really did a disservice to Shenmue fans. I guess they felt they had to take advantage of the upswell of goodwill that is surrounding it but that backfired.

Wait, so Sony really isn't going to be funding this as much as people thought? What page was this revelation on, I missed it.

 

[Aki-at]

Any confirmation that Sega is even involved in this? It's their IP and I haven't heard Sega's name dropped once.

SEGA is giving Suzuki the license to make Shenmue 3, this is still their IP/Series. Suzuki has recently stated however that SEGA references could still make their way into the game, some things he has access to and other things he does not. They are not helping with the development as far as we know.

Sony's involvement is as much as any other indie game, this is just more high profile. They haven't bought anything (Reference to the person you quote, not yourself.) and they're not providing any major funding.

 

[LizardKing]

Wait, so Sony really isn't going to be funding this as much as people thought? What page was this revelation on, I missed it.

It's all over this page. It's been said in interviews that Sony isn't really supporting it beyond normal indie game support.

 

[harSon]

Japanese games sell terribly on the Xb1, and it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see FFvii only come to ps4 with pc awhile later. There's even an interview where they say the remake is to help boost sales of the ps4 in Japan. I don't know how much worse the xb1 could do in Japan. It sold 100 last week there.

Final Fantasy has always been one of the few JRPGs to be extremely successful in the United States, particularly Final Fantasy 7 which was a gaming phenomenon. Obviously this would sell better on PS4, evident by the fact that FF13 sold more on PS3 with a lesser install base - but that doesn't change the fact that the 360 version sold hundreds of thousands in the NA alone. What matters most is whether Square stands to gain a worthwhile install base on XB1, not whether its going to be dwarfed by the PS4's sales in comparison.

 

[4Tran]

As would Mac and Xbox One.

And Wii U and Vita. However, there comes a point where adding more platforms leads to diminishing returns. In the case of games like Shenmue and FF7, I wouldn't be surprised if the developers conclude that the vast majority of their potential customers are covered by PC and PS4, and settle on just those two platforms.

Sony really should have kept their mouths shut if they aren't going to be funding a large amount and significant portion of this thing. Really did a disservice to Shenmue fans, people think what's the point of donating now. I guess they felt they had to take advantage of the upswell of goodwill that is surrounding it but that backfired.

Sony is almost certainly putting a lot of money into Shenmue. Kickstarter can only finance a part of the game, and the rest has to come from somewhere else. It's possible that YS Net has other financiers lined up, but Sony is still likely to be the largest among them. The game is organized like other Indie funds games in technical terms, but it occupies a much more important position than any of them.

 

[Pathfinder]

It's all over this page. It's been said in interviews that Sony isn't really supporting it beyond normal indie game support.

That is quite unfortunate. I was under the impression they were footing most of the bill and were just gauging interest.

Even though I'm not a Shenmue fan myself, I know some who are, so I hope the game still gets to happen.

 

[R_thanatos]

i think ff7 remake is too big to skip platform, but it's up to how ff15 perform on xbone. shenmue is probably locked on ps4/pc, like grim fandango, another sony/third party collaboration. and sf5, but we still can see a ultra sf5.

Yeah no, they have already said that SF5 is locked that way for the lifetime of SF5.
SF6 is an unknow however.