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[Shadders]

Some people were annoyed but sensible people realize that publishers handling nothing but distribution is perfectly fine for a crowdfunded project. The developers still own the IP and they still get a much larger cut of the finished product than they would in a traditionally published game. The developers also save the time and money it would take to set up the distribution methods and ad campaign from scratch. Everybody wins.

Yeah, there's a few good examples of this. Namco Bandai came in and helped with distribution of Project Cars, they'll take a cut of the profits, of course, but when you go to a publisher with a finished game, it's an entirely different negotiation than if you're just starting out and need funding for development.

22 Cans got a publisher for the mobile version of Godus too, which again, makes sense because publicising a mobile release is an absolute minefield and you can kill a game with a couple of ill advised commercial mistakes.

In both cases, backers got upset, but these aren't your traditional Developer-Publisher deals where the publisher takes all the risk of funding development and justifiably wants some control over the game and a big chunk of the profits.

Ys Net might do well to bring in a publisher once the game is well underway and they can secure a deal that's beneficial to them. If their losses are mitigated, it might even make sense for SEGA to come in and handle distribution and maybe porting to other platforms.

 

[DAREALGUMMY]

this is pretty much all in your head.

I don't see how this would benefit Shenmue at all. I feel like he wouldn't have much fun with it with his style and would do more harm. I doubt it'll happen either way.

 

[Haunted]

Why would they do an HD version of Shenmue 1&2? So they can sell a whopping 30-40K copies? So they can promote a sequel that they have little financial interest in?

Sega is a company that won't even do localizations of finished games running on their native platform (Yakuza). Expecting them to up-port and do massive improvements to games from mega-old hardware seems unreasonable at this point. I suppose it might happen if the work has already been done (as is the popular rumor), but a new project is probably out of the question.

depressingly realistic

Fans are hoping that this is just the kick in the dick in the balls Sega needed to get Shenmue 1+2 HD into overdrift.

But it's much more likely that nothing's going to happen and Sega continues to retreat into their core franchises on mobile and not much else.

 

[ArjanN]

It is too late but I think the KS should have been $60 for a digital copy for something as ambitious as Shenmue. It has the caliber to pull it off and would have increased funds significantly.

Nah, $60 is probably too high for impulse spending for a lot of people, you're probably better off getting more people in early with a lower price, and then offering more higher tiers with extra stuff later to get people to upgrade.

I don't see how this would benefit Shenmue at all. I feel like he wouldn't have much fun with it with his style and would do more harm. I doubt it'll happen either way.

The stuff that gets featured on Conan is clearly all big upcoming games that payed to be featured on there. It's literally just a (funnier) TV ad. So, yeah, that's definitely not happening.

That said I think don't him making fun of a game matters, in the end it's still a ton more people that see your game.

 

[Bashtee]

depressingly realistic [...] But it's much more likely that nothing's going to happen and Sega continues to retreat into their core franchises on mobile and not much else.

Yeah, I agree.

Oh well, at least we can hop-

... everything is lost.

 

[Theonik]

• Japanese/Chinese only, saves money and is native to both the people making the game and its setting. It's easier for them to make this of a decent quality. Worst for expanding the audience.
• "Classic" English VO itches nostalgia but is objectively bad and makes the tone goofier. Which is both good and bad, I guess.
• New, decent VO seems the most expensive, difficult to achieve, but also most accommodating to newcomers/broader audience and for upping the quality of the game and making the tone fit the original vision better. For us fans it'd surely be weird to hear someone else's English voice coming out of Ryo, but I'm sure we'd adjust.

I wasn't sure which I found preferable, but typing that up I feel I've convinced myself it's the third one. But I'd personally be fine with any of them.
I'll say though, regardless of how it ends up, Corey Marshall deserves to have some level of involvement just for old time's sake if nothing else.

Classic English VO is the most expensive option actually. The original dub was not low budget by any sense of the word. It was the result of poor decisions. Largely stemming from trying to accommodate Yu Suzuki's desire to record the dub in Japan so that he could personally supervise it.

 

[Nibel]

They said in the stream they would put up an update on Friday and still haven't.

I think they meant the KS website itself, no?

Nonetheless: nothing on Twitter or KS. People want to be updated all the time, come on Awesome Japan

 

[Hubble]

Nonetheless: nothing on Twitter or KS. People want to be updated all the time, come on Awesome Japan

Yes, I do not understand how a massive KS as this does not issue updates everyday. It is baffling.

 

[ArisenDragon]

Yes, I do not understand how a massive KS as this does not issue updates everyday. It is baffling.

Yeah even if its something small that would satisfy a lot of people.

 

[hamchan]

Maybe Yu really did fire them

I hope so. This has been such a badly run Kickstarter that has only done well so far because the fanbase is so good. I look at the Bloodstained Kickstarter and how perfect that was and I feel this game deserves that.

 

[VistraNorrez]

Why would they do an HD version of Shenmue 1&2? So they can sell a whopping 30-40K copies? So they can promote a sequel that they have little financial interest in?

Sega is a company that won't even do localizations of finished games running on their native platform (Yakuza). Expecting them to up-port and do massive improvements to games from mega-old hardware seems unreasonable at this point. I suppose it might happen if the work has already been done (as is the popular rumor), but a new project is probably out of the question.

First of all, I'm not talking some massive overhaul with my realistic options. Just common things that happen when an HD port is done. Improved lighting and water effects are common, although I guess not for Sega ports. I also see no reason it wouldn't have both Japanese and English VO. They have both available. Frankly I'm perfectly fine if Sega does nothing to these ports except with resolution and FPS. Those 2 are impossible not to do, fans will mod it as such at the very least.

Now where are you pulling those potential sales numbers from? The Kickstarter? Which would mean atleast 46,000 people would buy these HD Ports. I really can't see every single KS supporter not buying 1&2 HD port. And that's just current KS backers, the sales number will be higher when you factor in actual game sales post release. No game released from Kickstarter just saw sales from those initial backers. Does anyone have sales figures for Kickstarter games in comparison to backers?

I know a game like Pillars of Eternity, according to SteamSpy, sold around 400,000 copies. It's Kickstarter had 73,986 backers. That's about 5.5x the amount of backers. Maybe that's not the best comparison. Let's look at actual Sega games like Crazy Taxi and Space Channel 5 part 2. They have sold 250k copies each for goodness sakes. I can't imagine Shenmue 1&2 selling 30-40k if those 2 games can reach those kinds of sales. Yes, Shenmue 1&2 would probably cost more than either of them, but Shenmue fans are also much more devoted.

 

[LizardKing]

depressingly realistic

Fans are hoping that this is just the kick in the dick in the balls Sega needed to get Shenmue 1+2 HD into overdrift.

But it's much more likely that nothing's going to happen and Sega continues to retreat into their core franchises on mobile and not much else.

Just like Shenmue wouldn't even get a million dollars on Kickstarter? Sell 40-50k copies? That many people already pledged to a game in the series that wont even be out for 2 years at minimum and they don't even know what it looks like. It's going to wind up as one of the most successful crowd funding video game projects to date and yet there is still so much negativity here. Sega released Sega Bass Fishing as an HD remaster ffs. Shenmue 1+2 HD is coming. It would be real nice if they would also release that rumored to be done Skies of Arcadia HD port but that one I'm not holding my breath for.

 

[ArisenDragon]

We are almost 100,000 away from passing mighty number 9 which is amazing in itself.

 

[Haunted]

Just like Shenmue wouldn't even get a million dollars on Kickstarter? Sell 40-50k copies? That many people already pledged to a game in the series that wont even be out for 2 years at minimum and they don't even know what it looks like. It's going to wind up as one of the most successful crowd funding video game projects to date and yet there is still so much negativity here. Sega released Sega Bass Fishing as an HD remaster ffs. Shenmue 1+2 HD is coming.

You're preaching to the choir here, you don't have to convince me, you have to convince the suits at Sega.

 

[Theonik]

You're preaching to the choir here, you don't have to convince me, you have to convince the suits at Sega.

That's Yu Suzuki's job.

 

[shanafan]

I hope so. This has been such a badly run Kickstarter that has only done well so far because the fanbase is so good. I look at the Bloodstained Kickstarter and how perfect that was and I feel this game deserves that.

Part of the reason Bloodstained did so well was because it opened the franchise up to other playerbases, like the Wii U and Vita. Then, it introduced a prequel mini-game Bloodstained for 3DS. It also had great discussions with the developers, including Armature who are handling the ports. And the voice actors were confirmed.

Shenmue's KS can't confirm much. With less than three weeks left, responses to major questions like Corey Marshall returning, Shenmue 1+2 HD, and physical releases as "We are looking into it" responses are just not enough.

I feel Igarashi delivered a solid gameplan before launching the KS, and his team was consistently on point with campaign updates. Shenmue 3 has just been a mess unfortunately, and targeting two platforms has hurt them.

 

[Hubble]

Part of the reason Bloodstained did so well was because it opened the franchise up to other playerbases, like the Wii U and Vita. Then, it introduced a prequel mini-game Bloodstained for 3DS. It also had great discussions with the developers, including Armature who are handling the ports. And the voice actors were confirmed.

Shenmue's KS can't confirm much. With less than three weeks left, responses to major questions like Corey Marshall returning, Shenmue 1+2 HD, and physical releases as "We are looking into it" responses are just not enough.

I feel Igarashi delivered a solid gameplan before launching the KS, and his team was consistently on point with campaign updates. Shenmue 3 has just been a mess unfortunately, and targeting two platforms has hurt them.

The Bloodstained Kickstarter just feels like it was planned for months in advance. Everything from the tiers, stretch goals, the backer achievements, etc., were intentionally revealed over time perfectly that kept the momentum of funding going. They knew what was going to be posted ahead of time and even regular updates seemed to be planned teasing more about the campaign or the game. While this Kickstarter, just looks like it was rushed from the pitch video to the page and not much thought put into it. I'm sorry but mini games for a village is not an exciting stretch goal.

 

[Kathian]

I'm beginning to doubt this game will cross 50,000 backers which is hardly singing praises for the series reach or its importance (puts the announcement in perspective).

If the kickstarter is this unplanned I also think its a bad sign for the actual development. This is all very early stage stuff, compared to some games that will at least have a general consensus of what its to be.

 

[shanafan]

The Bloodstained Kickstarter just feels like it was planned for months in advance. Everything from the tiers, stretch goals, the backer achievements, etc., were intentionally revealed over time perfectly that kept funding momentum going. Even regular updates seemed to be planned teasing more about the campaign or the game. While this Kickstarter, just looks like it was rushed from the pitch video to the page and not much thought put into it.

I think what also helped with Bloodstained's KS.. and maybe a little coy on their part.. their basement stretch goals were hidden. Donators upped their pledge, and brought in new donators out of curiosity to see what were the next stretch goals. In Shenmue's case, we know what their goals are through $11 million.

They are expanding their KS, but they aren't even on pace to reach those goals. Just hopes the new reveal will bring in more money. It's wishful thinking at this point.

 

[~Kinggi~]

Bloodstained kickstarter wasnt planned months in advance. At its start the stretches were actually really bad and there were problems. They got their shit together quick though. Actually some of the best run kickstarters were last minute reactions to what was happening. Pillars of Eternity was a fun campaign and they were caught off guard.

 

[VistraNorrez]

It is strange that they dumped some many stretch goals at once. That would have been a very easy way to update the Kickstarter every day. A new update, no matter how small, will always get people talking more about it. Really should have saved those.

I really think Yu Suzuki had no idea what to expect from Kickstarter and Awesome Japan didn't think they needed to do much of anything to get Shenmue 3 backed. And AJ was right, it reached the goal no problem. But it reached it so fast that no one behind the scenes knew where to go next with it. YS was probably so gobsmacked that could finally continue his story that he didn't know what to present to keep the funds coming in. I think everyone took those first 48 hours for granted. AJ clearly does not have the competence to sustain momentum and help guide YS.

With that said, the fans have done their best to pick up the slack. There is clearly a strong social media presence and it seems everyone has been pretty good about keeping it going. The $30 on 3 campaign is great. We need to see more of that.

 

[glaurung]

+1 to the notion of keeping the stretch goals hidden at first.

Also, I don't see this thing crossing the 5M line at this rate. 11M is crazy, this is not Star Citizen. And I have to say that the later stretch goals sound uninspired.

 

[GhostTrick]

+1 to the notion of keeping the stretch goals hidden at first.

Also, I don't see this thing crossing the 5M line at this rate. 11M is crazy, this is not Star Citizen. And I have to say that the later stretch goals sound uninspired.

Well, Star Citizen finished its KS campain at 2M... But at this rythm... 5M might not be reached :/
Although, I still believe and hope they'll find something to regain momentum, at least I hope so. To be fair, I think that outside of the KS campain, it will find a way, maybe at next E3, to gain backers.
As for the later stretch goals, maybe they sound uninspired.. although they might be the most important in term of scope for the game.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

Stretch goals can look good on paper, or more accurately on a screen, but the real test is 2 years later when a game comes out.

Take Shovel Knight, they put out a bunch of stretch goals to raise more money, which they did, but as far as I'm aware all the stretch goal features are yet to be implemented in the game, and that team actually ran out of money 5 months before the game came out. If it wasn't for SK becoming a breakout indie hit, it's questionable that they would have been able to deliver those stretch goals at all.

And what about the still absent WiiU version of Project Cars? I've seen the comment a few times about how adding WiiU and Vita really helped bring in backers to Bloodstained but while the 'the game is ruined because low-powered hardware' stuff was really overblown, I think a lot of people are downplaying that in order for those to happen a crowd-funded game, backed by a relatively small publisher is going to be porting UE4 to WiiU and Vita, something that nobody else, including Epic themselves has bothered with at this point.

 

[Lee Chaolan]

Not having an English dub is a sure way to deter any new comers from discovering the series. Even the Xbox version of Shenmue II sprung for dubbing.

Well said, I understand both sides though, since the money is very important, but I feel it is quite important for what was said above, and I'd love to have Corey back as well.

 

[Hynad]

Yes, I do not understand how a massive KS as this does not issue updates everyday. It is baffling.

Indeed. I also wonder why you don't work 24/7, every week as well.

 

[shanafan]

Indeed. I also wonder why you don't work 24/7, every week as well.

Well, for such a huge Kickstarter and lasting only 30 days, it is important to push updates on a regular basis. The last update was announcing the Twitch stream was happening soon. It would make sense to link an archived version of the video, and thanking Yu Suzuki for his participation when the stream ended.

 

[Leona Lewis]

Indeed. I also wonder why you don't work 24/7, every week as well.

This is a campaign. There's a set time limit for how long those responsible can continue to reach potential backers through Kickstarter, and they have to maximize that limited time.

It's like Obama or Romney taking a day off in the October before the general election.

So many excuses for this abominable mess. When all is said and done, it's clear whose fault it will be when the game winds up little more than a barebones, unpolished QTE-fest.

 

[N.A]

Indeed. I also wonder why you don't work 24/7, every week as well.

They should have had 30 updates ready to go before the kickstarter started. We should be getting concept art, videos, interviews, detailed write-ups of the stretch goals, social media campaigns and more.

 

[CollectedDust]

Finally got around to creating a kickstarter account to back this. Dropped $120 for now... thinking of going to the $250 level. Hope this thing hits $5 million.

 

[Hynad]

LOL. You guys are cracking me up. xD

So many entitled whiners... I'm out.

 

[hamchan]

LOL. You guys are cracking me up. xD

So many entitled whiners... I'm out.

What...

People only want regular updates so the Kickstarter can do better and Shenmue 3 ends up better...

 

[Slaythe]

Team Spooky tournament on twitch.

 

[Fallout-with-swords]

Yes, I do not understand how a massive KS as this does not issue updates everyday. It is baffling.

That sounds more annoying than anything.

 

[Crocodile]

I do hope they can get the physical PS4 copies as a reward. It still puzzles me that with Sony being involved (though to a much lesser degree that we all thought) that getting physical PS4 copies would be this hard (especially since I assume their involvement at all is blocking an Xbone version?) but that is likely just my ignorance of how getting physical console games work.

Also did they ever say why there is no Paypal option at all? I know for plenty of people, Paypal is there only option. Paypal could easily add an extra $250k+ to the final tally over the course of the campaign.

You know what would help? What would help if ALL medias to say "Shenmue made it's First Stretch Goal of $2 million in 8 hours" instead of saying "Shenmue made goal of $2 million in 8 hours". Just saying that properly make such a massive difference in respect to understanding as it would lead people to think "Ok, there must be other goals, let's see if I can help".

That's not how ANY Kickstarter is reported by the media though. It's fine if you want the Shenmue KS to get special treatment but recognize that it would special treatment at least

Not having an English dub is a sure way to deter any new comers from discovering the series. Even the Xbox version of Shenmue II sprung for dubbing.

Yep. A good English dub will do wonders for this game in terms of exposure and getting new fans.

Friday and Saturday saw funding see a significant boost and essentially double the previously trending amount as a result of the stream. That's obviously amazing for the campaign but Sunday has seen funding grind to a halt. The funding total has barely moved for hours now. Awesome Japan really need to become active on weekends. Sunday would have been the perfect time to post an update but because they evidently take weekends off we're now waiting until Monday. The PS4 physical version would give this a shot in the arm.

Hopefully one is added at a premium tier (anything above $29 to create an incentive for people to upgrade) at some point next week. Preferably early next week.

As has been stated before, most Kickstaters don't update on weekends. It's not something to hold against Awesome Japan if they don't do weekend updates.

Also daily updates (in response to someone else) throughout the entire campaign is also not a super realistic expectation I feel.

 

[Maligna]

I kinda feel bad for the ruthless mocking the AJ guy is getting, but then I remember he's endangering my 14 year dream.

 

[N.A]

LOL. You guys are cracking me up. xD

So many entitled whiners... I'm out.

How dare we say a company that is supposed to specialize in kickstarters and has had the biggest possible push with the Sony E3 announcement might just be out of their depth as the donations have dried up and the momentum (which is the most important part of any kickstarter) is non-existant other than community-led efforts.

The updates have been slow and lacked any real info.

The social media presence is non-existent.

How hard would it be to put up some concept art or ask Yu Suzuki to write a paragraph about each stretch goal?

The community has put far more time and effort into this than anyone at Awesome Japan.

 

[Leona Lewis]

How dare we say a company that is supposed to specialize in kickstarters and has had the biggest possible push with the Sony E3 announcement might just be out of their depth as the donations have dried up and the momentum (which is the most important part of any kickstarter) is non-existant other than community-led efforts.

The updates have been slow and lacked any real info.

The social media presence is non-existent.

How hard would it be to put up some concept art or ask Yu Suzuki to write a paragraph about each stretch goal?

The community has put far more time and effort into this than anyone at Awesome Japan.

Meanwhile, at Awesome Japan headquarters...

"We gave them new Ryo face! That's enough for at least...two weeks! Right!"

 

[hamchan]

We can only hope that Awesome Japan are being paid hourly instead of getting a cut from the total.

 

[shanafan]

We can only hope that Awesome Japan are being paid hourly instead of getting a cut from the total.

Looks like that might be the case.

http://www.awesome-japan.com/recruit/

Conditions

English is more fluent.
At least twice a week, three months or more able to work better. Shift, selected from Monday to Saturday.
Hourly wage of 1,000 yen to 2,000 yen (compensation, the number of days that can work, and updates every month, depending on ability.)

 

[Bashtee]

+1 to the notion of keeping the stretch goals hidden at first.

Also, I don't see this thing crossing the 5M line at this rate. 11M is crazy, this is not Star Citizen. And I have to say that the later stretch goals sound uninspired.

Possible. BUT! Assuming we get a physical PS4 option and maybe the possibility to buy add-ons and so on, 5M is within the reach.

People keep mentioning Bloodstained, but I don't think that is even comparable. We had several releases of Castlevania in the last 20 years on probably all consoles and handhelds, while we only got 2 Shenmue games on the Dreamcast and Xbox. The interest for the Bloodstained kickstarter from investors, publishers and fans is a complete different story. Except for some die hard fans, no one was betting their money on the success of Shemue III. It's actually crazy Shenmue got this much and to be honest - Shenmue III can't live up to the hype, whatever they do.

I can see why people want more updates, but - about what?

 

[Moofers]

What was the name of the team that handled the BloodStained campaign? I pledged $100 and never knew. Also thought they absolutely nailed it 100%.

 

[Acquiescence]

Team Spooky tournament on twitch.

Always nice to see the holy trinity represented.

 

[DAREALGUMMY]

Finally got around to creating a kickstarter account to back this. Dropped $120 for now... thinking of going to the $250 level. Hope this thing hits $5 million.

THIS is what we should be talking about. You are a good man.

LOL. You guys are cracking me up. xD

So many entitled whiners... I'm out.

I'm getting there.

What...

People only want regular updates so the Kickstarter can do better and Shenmue 3 ends up better...

Maybe they're working with what they have at the moment. Do you really think Yu has all this stuff that he's saying "Here, show him this, this, and this." and the AJ guys are just saying "We got this."? I think this KS would have worked TONS better had it been announced BEFORE we knew about it. Seems like Yu was so eager and didn't realize how much people would have wanted.

People saying they're going to give us a subpar Shenmue 3 because of lack of updates are nuts. EVERYONE involved could have planned this whole thing out better. It feels so rushed out because Sony wanted that big E3 buzz and Yu is dying to make the next game without thinking about giving the game the best chance to succeed.

 

[ArisenDragon]

Rough day on the campaign trail.

 

[master15]

Why have I never arm-wrestled Dory Gordie in Shenmue 2 before

His dialogue is hilarious!

 

[border]

I know a game like Pillars of Eternity, according to SteamSpy, sold around 400,000 copies. It's Kickstarter had 73,986 backers. That's about 5.5x the amount of backers. Maybe that's not the best comparison. Let's look at actual Sega games like Crazy Taxi and Space Channel 5 part 2. They have sold 250k copies each for goodness sakes. I can't imagine Shenmue 1&2 selling 30-40k if those 2 games can reach those kinds of sales. Yes, Shenmue 1&2 would probably cost more than either of them, but Shenmue fans are also much more devoted.

Crazy Taxi and SC5 were sold at like $7 each, though. They were relatively small, arcade-style titles that probably did not require much playtesting and debugging. SC5 is almost an FMV game.

The amount of work required for a game as immense as Shenmue is much greater. There are so many variables and so many things that can break. I think you'd have a difficult time convincing Sega that the return on investment is really worth all of the work. Weren't they supposedly disappointed in the sales of their Dreamcast Steam games to begin with?

 

[Agent Unknown]

So are the features we probably (?) won't get unless the Kickstarter gets another decent surge going to seriously undercut the game or will we still get a solid quest at this point?

Stumbled upon this and this guy's view is spot on as it re-iterate what most of us has been saying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_U1Z6_Isjs


Here's hoping that journalist will be more supporting as Shenmue and Yu Suzuki behind the wheel is a good thing.

I was nodding my head so hard when he called out MS and Phil Spencer for tossing the series to the curb. MS could have funded a sequel anytime they wanted and kept the series XBox exclusive but they refused to.

 

[openrob]

I didn't watch the Twitch stream. What's the deal with the bearded spaz? Is he just hosting the twitch stream, or is he the head of the Kickstarter team? Why is he being gif'd?

Basically, yes, he (and the translator) work for Awesome Japan, who are managing the kickstarter, translating Yu Suzuki's vision from Japanese to English, and then into digital media and promotion.

People are gifing him because it was the most insane thing people had seen for a while. The gifs don't do the insanity justice. Watch the first 5 mins haha

 

[VistraNorrez]

Crazy Taxi and SC5 were sold at like $7 each, though. They were relatively small, arcade-style titles that probably did not require much playtesting and debugging. SC5 is almost an FMV game.

The amount of work required for a game as immense as Shenmue is much greater. There are so many variables and so many things that can break. I think you'd have a difficult time convincing Sega that the return on investment is really worth all of the work. Weren't they supposedly disappointed in the sales of their Dreamcast Steam games to begin with?

I know they are cheaper already mentioned that. But you really think Shenmue HD is only going to generate 40k sales at most? The return on investment is there, especially if the rumors that they are ready to go are true. Shenmue 3 will probably wind up selling at least 250k+ copies if we are just going by kickstarter trends. It's number 3 in the series, many will want too play 1 & 2. Sega knows there is no better time to get those out than between now and the release of 3. Hell they could test the waters with just the first game for now. If it meets expectations, release 2.

I see no reason for it not happen within the next 2 years. Sega cannot be dumb enough to not consider exploring that option right now. Shenmue trended on social networks. This is a series dead for 14 years. It's less risky than ever.