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Sony is officially helping with funding and development with Shenmue 3

D

DevilFox

Member
I like this approach if there's nothing more we can do. The AAA industry is risky, devs often take the safest path possible because if they invest millions, they want a return.. and if it doesn't happen, the IP dies. If they fail badly, sometimes people get fired, IP dies and studio get closed. So we get AC after AC, CODs etc. , mid tier devs are gone and creative freedom is kept at minimum.
If they want $5 dollars to be sure that making the game I want isn't going to be a disaster for their pockets, let's say Shenmue 3 today or The Legend of Dragoon tomorrow, you can bet on your mom that I'm going to pay that $5.
 
T

Tigress

Member
So, is this a game one could enjoy if they've never played the previous Shenmues?

I admit, I know nothing about it but I am curious.

Also, I think it's completely fair for them to gauge this. I mean if it doesn't reach goal, no one pays anything. And if it does, since they already had serious backers (like Sony), it will be made. I'd be better though if they would say who was backing it before it meets goals so you can decide if you trust those companies to get it done if it makes the goal.
 
I

igordennis

Member
What the actual fuck is this thread? Either some people posting on here are stupid or they are fanboys. Choose your poison.

Shenmue was in limbo for 14 years, every publishers had more than enough time to help getting this off the ground. This wouldnt happen if it werent for Sony so it really is game or no game.

And this isnt new for Kickstarter, a lot of the more ambitious not made by <5 people projects did the exact same thing and now some people are outraged and this will have "big ramifications" because Sony did it. yeah im gonna go with fanboys.
 
P

Pikma

Banned
AyaisMUsikWhore said:
I......I can't.


Sony Owns the IP of one which truly sets a bad precendent in the industry if they are asking the fans to fund their own game

VS

Asking the fans to fund the game for a beloved franchise owned by someone else that they do not own, and will also help fund the project lending resources and the next.

How...

Do..

You..

Not...

Get..

That...
Click to expand...
So? What's the difference? Aside from the owning part which I obviously know and understand 100%. Or are you trying to justify taking advantage of someone else money while still keeping the exclusivity deal with the fact that they don't own the IP, is that your argument? Because if so, never mind, I think I actually got your point
 
Z

zelas

Member
bitocoder said:
I'm a backer, and I am upset that there was no transparency involved.

Like I said earlier and someone else mentioned, when Nintendo saved Bayonetta, did they come up with a faux kickstarter to gauge interest? No, they just made it for the fans. No shady business. We have a clear precedent here with a company handling this kind of situation the right way, and we have today with a company handling it the wrong way.

People should have known from the beginning that they were just gauging interest.
Click to expand...

How badly Bayonetta 2 sold didnt set a precedent for publishers continuing to stay away from projects that were rejected multiple times before Nintendo fronted them?
 
A

amstradcpc

Member
Pandy said:
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.
Click to expand...
and why should you know about the circunstances of the deal?.Are you a Sony financing bank or what.What a parody, really...
 
N

Nyteshade517

Member
BSDdILX.jpg
 
C

chadskin

Member
FreddieQuell said:
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.
Click to expand...

And now, with Sony stepping in and funding it, they're getting an even better, bigger game for the exact same price they pledged before. Pure evil.
 
R

Rebel Leader

THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
davepoobond said:
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.
Click to expand...

not even $20 million wouldn't do it.

Didn't shenmue cost between $40-70 million on dreamcast?
 
H

hal9001

Banned
real_slime said:
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.
Click to expand...

vnP2G29.gif
 
M

MrSilentGuy

Member
Today Sony, tomorrow EA and others will follow. It's good to have Shenmue 3, but at what cost? Now critics and sceptics will have even more arguments against Kickstarter. You can lose people's trust very easy, but it is so hard to earn it. We will see how this situation goes, but it will be harder for genuine indie projects to get funded after such PR stunt like this.
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
Tigress said:
So, is this a game one could enjoy if they've never played the previous Shenmues?
Click to expand...
Not really, no. It's a very plot driven series, and the games don't wrap up. They aren't really self contained. It's one really long game.

You absolutely need to familiarize yourself with Shenmue I and II to play Shenmue III. Either by actually playing the games or using the short recap films of shenmue I and II that will be included with Shenmue III.
 
F

FullMetalx117

Member
I kind of liked the strategy. People who have been screaming for Shenmue are funding it themselves AND get the game game for a measly $29. Not a bad deal...considering the 2 copies the game will actually sell at retail.
 
D

Donthizz#

Member
Tigress said:
So, is this a game one could enjoy if they've never played the previous Shenmues?

I admit, I know nothing about it but I am curious.

Also, I think it's completely fair for them to gauge this. I mean if it doesn't reach goal, no one pays anything. And if it does, since they already had serious backers (like Sony), it will be made. I'd be better though if they would say who was backing it before it meets goals so you can decide if you trust those companies to get it done if it makes the goal.
Click to expand...

pretty sure Sony will remaster the previous two games before the launch.
 
W

wachie

Member
hey_it's_that_dog said:
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.
Click to expand...
I don't disagree with you but it's definitely getting hot in here.
 
joecanada

joecanada

Member
Khayam said:
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.
Click to expand...

how is this backwards from what is suspected? This is probably exactly what happened almost without doubt.
If Sony went to own the IP they would get money back from all sales, and they wouldn't make a PC edition, they saw this as a way to get good PR while getting another game....
 
J

jaxpunk

Member
Dreamwriter said:
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.
Click to expand...

So you took the long way around to explain they don't have to finish the game.

So to throw in my 2 cents, I'll probably buy the game but will never finish it. Boot it up and go huh Shenmue cool, I remember the Dreamcast.
 
A

AyaisMUsikWhore

Member
Pikma said:
So? What's the difference? Aside from the owning part which I obviously know and understand 100%. Or are you trying to justify taking advantage of someone else money while still keeping the exclusivity deal with the fact that they don't own the IP, is that your argument? Because if so, never mind, I think I actually got your point
Click to expand...

It....

Is...

NOT...

an...

EXCLUSIVE....

It Is not First Party Owned
It is not being published by said huge corporation that everyone is blaming
It is only.......being.....funded.



Please.....Understand
 
A

A_Gorilla

Banned
hey_it's_that_dog said:
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.
Click to expand...

PM Bish, he can and has done it before.
 
O

ocean

Banned
This is probably not thread-worthy but I'm sure some of you guys will find it interesting if it is not known:

According to a French newspaper (not games media, a traditional newspaper), a French co-producer helped make this game possible. Cedric Biscay apparently heads a company which worked for a long time to sort out the licensing permission from Sega for the campaign. They interviewed him and he confirmed that Sega still holds the rights, but has accepted the project.

Here's the source (in french):

http://www.20minutes.fr/culture/163...henmue-3-va-devenir-realite-grace-kickstarter
 
P

Percy

Banned
Oh, so it really was just a viability test KS after all?

Definitely unusual for an E3 event but if the end result is Shenmue 3 getting made then I imagine a lot of people aren't going to care too much how they got there.
 
Codiox

Codiox

Member
What is the problem with Sony funding it?

Are you people out of your minds? Shenmue is a testament from the incredible dreamcast, and we can experience it again and finally finish the story they started 14 years ago. You should be thankful that we get this opportunity nowadays between all these call of dutys, ascreeds and generic bullshit games.

The gaming community nowadays is really fucked up.
 
T

test_account

XP-39C²
SalsaShark said:
I don't precisely mind the "kickstarter to gauge interest" aspect of it, but I think putting it on a stage that big and going about it in this way sets up the platform for some weirdness, considering the ruling of it right now takes the risk out of the publisher and allows for silence / control of their brand relating directly to the project's success or failure, and as an after-the-fact thing.

some people might like that, minimizing risk and putting it into players, others might be a bit more skeptical. I somehow fall in the latter by the way things went.
Click to expand...
I understand, although i'm still curious about how you think it ulitmately will affect the projects being backed, or how Kickstarter as a platform is being affected. I understand if people want more openess about the process and get information about if for the sake of it, which i think definitelly fair enough, but what negative effect will the wierdness lead to, and what exactly is it to be skeptical about?
 
W

WrenchNinja

Member
real_slime said:
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.
Click to expand...
People are stupid. What's there to get?
 
4

4Tran

Member
Pandy said:
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.
Click to expand...
Usually, the developer would have had an agreement with an outside source of funding of some sort - probably either private investors or some sort of investment fund. The funder being Sony is the only real difference.

Pandy said:
How much are Sony contributing? How much would it have taken take to get Sega involved? $10 million, $20 million, $50 million?
Click to expand...
The amount contributed will depend on how successful the funding campaign is. The more money that's raised will increase the scope of the project, and Sony will have to contribute more. It'll be at least $10M unless Shenmue 3 gets Star Citizen-style

Pandy said:
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.
Click to expand...
While it's impossible to know the exact detail of the Sony-Yu Net contract, the salient points are quite obvious, and have been from the moment the Kickstarter went up.
 
L

LeleSocho

Banned
PixyJunket said:
I must have missed where Nintendo asked for crowd-funding for Bayonetta 2. Link?
Click to expand...

You also missed the fact that you are not actually funding the product (Sony is doing it and it's not even locking it to their platform) but essentially buying it with a "what you want to offer" methodology*.

*minimum 30$ or whatever the price is.
 
OmegaDL50

OmegaDL50

Member
Melkr_ said:
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.
Click to expand...

There it is folks.

It's not about a long desired game that has been been largely ignored for nearly 15 years, finally getting a chance to actually happen.

It's about company loyalty bullshit! What the fuck am I reading? Get the hell out with this nonsense!
 
J

J2 Cool

Member
This isn't establishing some new precedence. Shenmue was a bizarre series to consider its viability, given it was on the extinct dreamcast, and xbox in its early non-mainstream days. Demand is strong and vocal, but modern audiences likely dont know the game. Sony's still putting up a bunch of cash, and I think the fans are honestly just happy to have been allowed a role in getting the game made. I think its awesome not to feel helpless about it. Which is really what kickstarters all about. It definitely got things started. Sony also gave it center stage.

I give this specific example a big pass, not necessarily in support as a general rule.
 
D

Doctor_Thomas

Member
The point to take away from this is that Sony could afford it, Sega could afford it. The problem is Shenmue, regardless of how critically acclaimed, is a FINANCIAL failure and cost Sega a lot of money.

Now, if people really wanted the game, they were putting their money where their mouth is. I would rather the decisions on a game like this be left to fans of the game rather than someone who, for 15 years, weighed up the options and decided Shenmue III was not viable and would continue to come to the same conclusion.

I have no doubt there was a deal in place but I'm also certain that funding only came about because they were able to get $2m in funding. At that point, there's less risk on Sony because there's an obvious demand. That $2m secures people the game and additional items, it's not just handing over money and getting nothing back. In fact, Sony's funding makes the return more, not less, likely on those "preorders" and if someone wants to spend $10,000 to get dinner or a jacket, who are you to stop them?
 
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