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[Shenmue]

That's what is weird to me.

Sony knew this project was a big enough megaton to get everyone hyped at E3. They devoted stage time to it. Why, then, did they not fund the $10m themselves? All the negativity would have gone in an instant. If they're already paying significant $ towards the game, why not another $10m?

The PS4 is outselling everything in sight. Sony are making bank. The fact they weren't willing to put their money where their mouth was suggests something shady.

With no KS, there would have been zero bad publicity. No Mr. HighonDrugs. No "We are the most successful gaming KS in history but we want more money from Paypal users". Hell, they could have still sold Shenmue 3 merchandise. It would be pure hype.

TLR Sony are a multi-billion company with the most successful console this gen. Why then did they need fans to stump up $10m in order to #SaveShenmue in the first place?

Because Sony is still a business. As much as some gamers like to think these big corporations do things for the fans, they don't. It's only in certain ideal situations where business opportunity and pleasing fans happens to fall in line where we get this.

I think all of us Shenmue fans understand that this game isn't going to be a big money maker - perhaps it'll be a big money loser.

You know who understands that for sure though? Sony.

 

[Shadoken]

I really dont get what the solution is for all these people who are defending these articles.

So should the fans have just not funded the KS at all? And just said
"Fuk you Sony you go and fund it?"


Shenmue was a niche game with AAA budget , everyone knows that. And no publisher is going to take that risk again.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

For a AAA game in 2015 when the previous entries cost tens of millions of dollars over a decade ago?

[edit] To be fair we have no idea of the scope of the game yet.

It's not a AAA game though.

 

[SpikedGunner]

I'm going to write using proper punctuation for once, to show you that I mean it.

What Shenmue 3 has shown me, is that the dividing line between message board poster and video game journalist is a lot narrower than anybody ever thought.

Eurogamer's recent article is really great. It is. It tells the story of a game developer icon emerging from a decade in the background. Revitalised by his fans, a creative given back his medium to work in. Someone who has recovered their purpose in life.

But the headline is of course "I could do with a bit more money!"

A single quote, from a very small part of the article. There's a great story in the article as a whole, there truly is. Sadly, that story has been sacrificed for clicks.

They don't want you to read about a man who is enriched by the support of fans and looking to pay them back with something they've wanted for so long. They want you to read about this imaginary greedy man rubbing his hands to get your money.

Because outrage gets page views. Even if there's nothing there to be outraged about. And so the headline gets passed around, and people think that's the whole story. Then you get awful opinion pieces like Ben Kuchera's. His baffling, weird, confusing opinion piece where you can't figure out what the point is, besides a character assassination on Yu Suzuki for purposes unknown.

Some information about Shenmue 3 has been confusing. Some quotes taken out of context, some information that wasn't immediately clarified. The campaign wasn't perfect, the fans know that better than anybody.

What's awful is that the misinformation continues to spread, even after issues have been clarified. Despite best efforts of fans who have been following Shenmue 3's development closer than pretty much anybody in the games media. When we get annoyed or angry that a journalist has cited their own opinions about it as fact, or just disappointed us with a poor title choice like Eurogamer did, suddenly we're 'outraged fanboys' and Twitter post fodder for some game journalists to sneer at.

I've seen Shenmue called a sacred cow. It's anything but. Shenmue has been openly ridiculed for years and years. Sometimes for valid reasons, and sometimes just because. It's only in the last couple of years we've seen articles like the great Guardian piece where the writer looked past the meme-bait voice acting and reputation for being 'boring walking simulator' to find a game they really liked, even without any nostalgic factor on their part.

People like Colin Moriarty writing the game off three months into development is just dumb. Nobody doubts making Shenmue 3 is a monumental task, but Yu Suzuki is a video game icon that this industry owes huge amounts to. Just as much as Miyamoto and others.

Yu Suzuki seems revitalised, energised, and creatively refreshed. That's something to be excited about. An industry great, stripped of his old superstar status, but given new purpose by his fans. It's a lot of pressure, but I definitely think he can handle it.

But nobody wants to read about that, right?

Well said.

 

[Coffee Dog]

So, weird obsession with Sony again. Got it.

What other methods of non kickstarter funding were you talking about then?

 

[Krejlooc]

For a AAA game in 2015 when the previous entries cost tens of millions of dollars over a decade ago?.

It cost tens of millions of dollars because it was in development from 1993 to 2002 and includes the development of two engines and 4 ports of the game

For someone arguing about wanting transparency and facts, you dont seem to have done any homework at all. Yu suzuki explained the cost analysis at gdc 2014.

 

[prwxv3]

Its fucking hilarous to compare pre shenmue 3 is real discussions and discussions after it was announced

 

[marrec]

Because Sony is still a business. As much as some gamers like to think these big corporations do things for the fans, they don't. It's only in certain ideal situations where business opportunity and pleasing fans happens to fall in line where we get this.

I think all of us Shenmue fans understand that this game isn't going to be a big money maker - perhaps it'll be a big money loser.

You know who understands that for sure though? Sony.

That's why I'm a little miffed that Sony didn't just do a P&L and push it through as a first or second party game. Instead we have this weird Kickstarter campaign with outside funding that's never been fully explained and a public funding period that hasn't raised enough to meet expectations for Shenmue 3.

Sony wanted to invest with little risk of loss to itself and it seems it did.

What the final product be of this odd development is going to be very interesting.

 

[Krejlooc]

Do you realize how expensive games are these days?

$6 million might be a lot of money, but you can't make, say, a new Iron Man movie with it.

Shenmue 3 isnt iron man.

The things that cost shenmue $40million and a team of 300 to make, I can do by myself in ue4 in about 1 day with a drag and drop plugin.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

That's what is weird to me.

Sony knew this project was a big enough megaton to get everyone hyped at E3. They devoted stage time to it. Why, then, did they not fund the $10m themselves? All the negativity would have gone in an instant. If they're already paying significant $ towards the game, why not another $10m?

The PS4 is outselling everything in sight. Sony are making bank. The fact they weren't willing to put their money where their mouth was suggests something shady.

With no KS, there would have been zero bad publicity. No Mr. HighonDrugs. No "We are the most successful gaming KS in history but we want more money from Paypal users". Hell, they could have still sold Shenmue 3 merchandise. It would be pure hype.

TLR Sony are a multi-billion company with the most successful console this gen. Why then did they need fans to stump up $10m in order to #SaveShenmue in the first place?

It was Suzuki's idea for a Kickstarter and he wanted to start development ASAP as soon as he got the rights from Sega.

 

[Escalario]

Shenmue 3 isnt iron man.

The things that cost shenmue $40million and a team of 300 to make, I can do by myself in ue4 in about 1 day with a drag and drop plugin.

Do it. Prove your own words. I expect a completely functional game in 24 hours. With the amount of NPCs, quests, script, music, EVERYTHING that Shenmue had.

 

[twobear]

What other methods of non kickstarter funding were you talking about then?

Who knows? They're the ones talking about it, not me.

 

[marrec]

Do it. Prove your own words. I expect a completely functional game in 24 hours.

I'd love to see this Shenmue clone done in UE4 in 24 hours.

 

[Coffee Dog]

Do it. Prove your own words.

You're missing his point; it doesn't require a massive amount of money to make a shenmue game anymore.

Just as the budget for shovel knight is smaller than it would be to make a platformer in the 80s.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

I'd love to see this Shenmue clone done in UE4 in 24 hours.

Game development is easier than ever. How do you not get this?

 

[Yurikerr]

I've watched the video (just rewatched it in fact) and Boyes said "he's self publishing it" with some mumbling about "putting in some scratch in, support it, help market it" and then goes on to explain that the Kickstarter campaign was a quick way to replace a traditional Profit and Loss statement, which implies that they are going to profit on this project in some way, implying investment.

There's nothing clear about what Sony's total involvement is but based on what Boyes has said, what Suzuki has said, and what Corsi has said it's fairly clear that they're investing in the development of Shenmue III in some way, but not full investment.

Where are you getting the impression that Sony will profit from this project (besides taking % of all sales like every other game?

Adam talks about why didn't made sense for Sony to fully fund the project. If they did that the game needed to be first-party.

And says that the kickstarter was the best option but Suzuki wanted to start the development as soon as possible. And Sony said "Yes, let's do marketing, promote it, make their dreams come true".

I don't know where you heard him talk about loss and profit on this video, or Sony wanting to make some cash with it.

Seriously, you're reading to much into it or simply letting your own bias tint your judgment.

And just to be clear, i don't give a shit about Shenmue and i think this hole campaign has been badly conducted. Until today we don't have a clear response about how much Sony is investing and how. But let's not assume things that can be interpreted both ways.

 

[Krejlooc]

Do it. Prove your own words. I expect a completely functional game in 24 hours.

At gdc, yu suzuki talks about how the most significant system his team struggled with was magic weather. He even admits in gdc that "everyone does it now, it's no big deal."

I can drop magic weather into a ue4 program with 3 clicks. It is literally drag and drop. What took them years to create, I can now do in seconds.

 

[Escalario]

At gdc, yu suzuki talks about how the most significant system his team struggled with was magic weather. He even admits in gdc that "everyone does it now, it's no big deal."

I can drop magic weather into a ue4 program with 3 clicks. It is literally drag and drop. What took them years to create, I can now do in seconds.

So are you gonna do it, or are you just gonna to make it easier to not take anything you say seriously, Mr. "I can make Shenmue in 1 day"?

 

[Danlord]

I edited the OP to include Eurogamer's interview article which spawned the numerous clickbait articles with one article (there was loads) that regurgitated the clickbait topic centering around the money aspect and added one from Game Informer, but I'm re-reading it really and whilst it's not perfect I don't think it's as sloppy as the others.

Someone commented that Game Informer have been doing poor for this (or other Kickstarters), is there any links that I can look at?

 

[flozuki]

Don't blame the media for a poorly thought-out Kickstarter campaign. Especially at the beginning it was a mess.

KHADD! It is the job of the media to check their information, but almost none of the mentioned media have released articles that show the positive side of things. And of course I blame the media for poorly written articles and bad research.

 

[Coffee Dog]

Who knows? They're the ones talking about it, not me.

Well, I think expecting Yu Suzuki to pull a boatload of cash out of thin air to get Shenmue 3 made is more than a little ridiculous, considering he's been trying to do this for like 10 years.

 

[Shadoken]

Do it. Prove your own words. I expect a completely functional game in 24 hours. With the amount of NPCs, quests, script, music, EVERYTHING that Shenmue had.

I'd love to see this Shenmue clone done in UE4 in 24 hours.

He said "The things" - which a normal person would likely interpret as some aspects of the game that costed millions/300 people.

Wow you guys are almost as good as these game journalists for twisting peoples words.


You guys really dont think what costed millions and manpower in the 90s cant be dont today in hours?
Systems like the AI,Magic weather.. are all just free plugins now.

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

It cost tens of millions of dollars because it was in development from 1993 to 2002 and includes the development of two engines and 4 ports of the game

For someone arguing about wanting transparency and facts, you dont seem to have done any homework at all. Yu suzuki explained the cost analysis at gdc 2014.

I feel like the beating of the dead horse will continue up to the point of the game's release, and maybe even after. While things could have arguably been clearer at the start of the Kickstarter campaign, the same questions and concerns are repeatedly raised over and over. Despite interviews, answers, and/or serious credibility issues of some of these so called journalists.

 

[Windom Earle]

At gdc, yu suzuki talks about how the most significant system his team struggled with was magic weather. He even admits in gdc that "everyone does it now, it's no big deal."

I can drop magic weather into a ue4 program with 3 clicks. It is literally drag and drop. What took them years to create, I can now do in seconds.

Yes, it is pretty magical what kind of pioneer work they did back then on the good old Dreamcast. Today's Tools and middleware are just not comparable to that time. Still, a full fledged Shenmue game will not come cheap as other parts of development probably blew up in budget (assett creation, animation, etc.).

 

[Shenmue]

That's why I'm a little miffed that Sony didn't just do a P&L and push it through as a first or second party game. Instead we have this weird Kickstarter campaign with outside funding that's never been fully explained and a public funding period that hasn't raised enough to meet expectations for Shenmue 3.

Sony wanted to invest with little risk of loss to itself and it seems it did.

What the final product be of this odd development is going to be very interesting.

The bolded is exactly right. I'd add that they also wanted to squeeze out as publicity from it as well, while costing them as little as possible. I mean it's opportunistic for sure, but it's business.

I'd guess that TLG is already causing havoc for their P&Ls.

 

[Stephen Stills]

I edited the OP to include Eurogamer's interview article which spawned the numerous clickbait articles with one article (there was loads) that regurgitated the clickbait topic centering around the money aspect and added one from Game Informer, but I'm re-reading it really and whilst it's not perfect I don't think it's as sloppy as the others.

Someone commented that Game Informer have been doing poor for this (or other Kickstarters), is there any links that I can look at?

The EuroGamer article is actually quite good. The writer is informed about Shenmue and seems pretty passionate about it too. I imagine the editor read it and gave it the clickbait title and the writer had nothing to do with it.

 

[Krejlooc]

Mr. "I can make Shenmue in 1 day"?

Do you work for the publications in the op? Because this is a moronic take on what I said.

So is your point supposed to be that, since i cant make shenmue in 1 day - a claim I didnt make - that what I, and yu suzuki, said about things that were money sinks 14 years ago being trivial today isnt true?

I am a game developer, btw.

 

[Coffee Dog]

So are you gonna do it, or are you just gonna to make it easier to not take anything you say seriously, Mr. "I can make Shenmue in 1 day"?

obviously he was exaggerating slightly to express his overall point of the advancement of technology allowing shenmue to be easier to make in the modern day.

Do you regularly have this much difficulty getting hung up on semantics?

 

[Stephen Stills]

At gdc, yu suzuki talks about how the most significant system his team struggled with was magic weather. He even admits in gdc that "everyone does it now, it's no big deal."

I can drop magic weather into a ue4 program with 3 clicks. It is literally drag and drop. What took them years to create, I can now do in seconds.

This.

Shenmue cost so much because they had to invent a lot of the technology that the game used.

Technology that now comes with UE4.

 

[Escalario]

obviously he was exaggerating slightly to express his overall point of the advancement of technology allowing shenmue to be easier to make in the modern day.

Do you regularly have this much difficulty getting hung up on semantics?

Hillarious coming from you.

 

[Shadoken]

So are you gonna do it, or are you just gonna to make it easier to not take anything you say seriously, Mr. "I can make Shenmue in 1 day"?

You would make good money working for Kotaku.

Either you are being intentionally dense . and making up shit like "I can make Shenmue in 1 day"
When he never said that in the first place. Please do quote and explain.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

I'd love to see this Shenmue clone done in UE4 in 24 hours.

Did you actually read what he wrote? Quite funny from someone who was complaining about reading comprehension a couple of page ago.

 

[Danlord]

The EuroGamer article is actually quite good. The writer is informed about Shenmue and seems pretty passionate about it too. I imagine the editor read it and gave it the clickbait title and the writer had nothing to do with it.

Yeah it was more highlighting the start of where the following clickbait articles came from. I agree it was written well. I didn't even know that Yu Suzuki was now working massive hours on the project, this is really big yet everyone highlighted the money comment.

Since that grand reveal, Suzuki's life has changed. Now he gets into his office for 6.30am, leaving at 10pm for the hour and a half journey back home. And now he's working through weekends, too. He doesn't have time to indulge in his hobbies, like billiards, but he seems happier, more animated than when I last met him.

 

[twobear]

Well, I think expecting Yu Suzuki to pull a boatload of cash out of thin air to get Shenmue 3 made is more than a little ridiculous, considering he's been trying to do this for like 10 years.

Yes, and if you follow the argument about the hypothetical I'm making, he now has a record breaking Kickstarter and an $8 million starting budget to bolster his pitch.

 

[nib95]

I'm going to write using proper punctuation for once, to show you that I mean it.

What Shenmue 3 has shown me, is that the dividing line between message board poster and video game journalist is a lot narrower than anybody ever thought.

Eurogamer's recent article is really great. It is. It tells the story of a game developer icon emerging from a decade in the background. Revitalised by his fans, a creative given back his medium to work in. Someone who has recovered their purpose in life.

But the headline is of course "I could do with a bit more money!"

A single quote, from a very small part of the article. There's a great story in the article as a whole, there truly is. Sadly, that story has been sacrificed for clicks.

They don't want you to read about a man who is enriched by the support of fans and looking to pay them back with something they've wanted for so long. They want you to read about this imaginary greedy man rubbing his hands to get your money.

Because outrage gets page views. Even if there's nothing there to be outraged about. And so the headline gets passed around, and people think that's the whole story. Then you get awful opinion pieces like Ben Kuchera's. His baffling, weird, confusing opinion piece where you can't figure out what the point is, besides a character assassination on Yu Suzuki for purposes unknown.

Some information about Shenmue 3 has been confusing. Some quotes taken out of context, some information that wasn't immediately clarified. The campaign wasn't perfect, the fans know that better than anybody.

What's awful is that the misinformation continues to spread, even after issues have been clarified. Despite best efforts of fans who have been following Shenmue 3's development closer than pretty much anybody in the games media. When we get annoyed or angry that a journalist has cited their own opinions about it as fact, or just disappointed us with a poor title choice like Eurogamer did, suddenly we're 'outraged fanboys' and Twitter post fodder for some game journalists to sneer at.

I've seen Shenmue called a sacred cow. It's anything but. Shenmue has been openly ridiculed for years and years. Sometimes for valid reasons, and sometimes just because. It's only in the last couple of years we've seen articles like the great Guardian piece where the writer looked past the meme-bait voice acting and reputation for being 'boring walking simulator' to find a game they really liked, even without any nostalgic factor on their part.

People like Colin Moriarty writing the game off three months into development is just dumb. Nobody doubts making Shenmue 3 is a monumental task, but Yu Suzuki is a video game icon that this industry owes huge amounts to. Just as much as Miyamoto and others.

Yu Suzuki seems revitalised, energised, and creatively refreshed. That's something to be excited about. An industry great, stripped of his old superstar status, but given new purpose by his fans. It's a lot of pressure, but I definitely think he can handle it.

But nobody wants to read about that, right?

Great post.

 

[Shadoken]

Yes, and if you follow the argument about the hypothetical I'm making, he now has a record breaking Kickstarter and an $8 million starting budget to bolster his pitch.

You understand that he would need to delay development ever further then right?

Because while he is developing Shenmue 3 with a $6m budget. He would be in talks to get additional funding.

Now lets say months later he secures this additional $10m. Now he would need to staff up, and scale the $6m project to a $16m project. And that would possibly cause a delay.

You can see how this idea is already making the project a lot worse.


Incoming Article - "Shenmue 3 delayed , $16m not enough"

 

[Shenmue]

The EuroGamer article is actually quite good. The writer is informed about Shenmue and seems pretty passionate about it too. I imagine the editor read it and gave it the clickbait title and the writer had nothing to do with it.

Yup. Who would pour that much time into writing a great, well researched article and then sabotaging themselves with that title?

If I was the author I would be pissed.

 

[Spaghetti]

Addendum: Everybody who thinks Shenmue 3 will fail because of not featuring as much ground-breaking new stuff as the originals has missed the point of Shenmue.

Shenmue is about immersing yourself in a rich environment with a tremendous attention to detail, enjoying the development of characters and story, and varied gameplay modes.

Also, thanks to everybody who said something nice about my big post on the last page.

 

[Shenmue]

Addendum: Everybody who thinks Shenmue 3 will fail because of not featuring as much ground-breaking new stuff as the originals has missed the point of Shenmue.

Shenmue is about immersing yourself in a rich environment with a tremendous attention to detail, enjoying the development of characters and story, and varied gameplay modes.

Also, thanks to everybody who said something nice about my big post on the last page.

Yes! This!

That's why when my friends joke and say "Oh that forklift simulator game?" I say "Yes, that's part of it and that's what makes it great."

 

[Ogimachi]

The coverage is shameful indeed, but it was a legitimate concern. They should've explained everything beforehand in order to avoid the controversy, which ultimately hurt the campaign's funding.
It should've been the first game to hit $10 million, really. Media is partially to blame, but in the end it made 6.3 million despite the poorly managed campaign they ran, which speaks volumes about the fans, not them. The tiers were wrong, the stretch goals were a mess, the livestream sucked, and the (vague) explanations on Sony and Shibuya's involvement came too late.

 

[SilentRob]

Jeff Gerstman was right. Old school Sega fans really are the worst :/

There is nobody to blame here but Suzuki, the team behind the Kickstarter and Sony. They are responsible for the absolutely terrible messaging and for providing weeks and weeks of mixed messaging regarding the financing of the game.

You know what would have been shameful? If the media would have just bought into the hype of OMGSHENMUE and blindly told people how amazing everything about it is going to be.

I mean, think about it. They created the kickstarter, asked for a certain amount of money to make shenmue 3 and then, after a few days and after they already got money from many, many fans Suzuki came out and straight up told people that, nah, they will only be able to make a REAL Shenmue 3 if they got at least 10 million. Seems like they kind of missed to tell us that when announcing the kickstarter?

The campaign was a disaster, the PR was a disaster and, to this day, the messaging is a disaster. When you end you kickstarter campaign and then come out a few months later saying "Yeah, well, actually, we could need a lot more money to make it look not terrible", no matter in what context, then that project deserves to be criticised for it. If there was ever one kickstarter that was shady from the very get go, it's this.

The fact that Shenmue fans don't wanna see this because, hey, it's Shenmue? Fine. I can accept that. But the way they pile onto the media because they dont blindly buy into the hype, stay wary and ask weridly unanswered questions is pretty - yup - shameful.

Also:

poorly managed campaign
The tiers were wrong,
the stretch goals were a mess,
the livestream sucked
the (vague) explanations on Sony and Shibuya's involvement came too late.

and yet

The coverage is shameful indeed

What am I missing here?

 

[ZombiePlatypus]

I'm going to write using proper punctuation for once, to show you that I mean it.

What Shenmue 3 has shown me, is that the dividing line between message board poster and video game journalist is a lot narrower than anybody ever thought.

Eurogamer's recent article is really great. It is. It tells the story of a game developer icon emerging from a decade in the background. Revitalised by his fans, a creative given back his medium to work in. Someone who has recovered their purpose in life.

But the headline is of course "I could do with a bit more money!"

A single quote, from a very small part of the article. There's a great story in the article as a whole, there truly is. Sadly, that story has been sacrificed for clicks.

They don't want you to read about a man who is enriched by the support of fans and looking to pay them back with something they've wanted for so long. They want you to read about this imaginary greedy man rubbing his hands to get your money.

Because outrage gets page views. Even if there's nothing there to be outraged about. And so the headline gets passed around, and people think that's the whole story. Then you get awful opinion pieces like Ben Kuchera's. His baffling, weird, confusing opinion piece where you can't figure out what the point is, besides a character assassination on Yu Suzuki for purposes unknown.

Some information about Shenmue 3 has been confusing. Some quotes taken out of context, some information that wasn't immediately clarified. The campaign wasn't perfect, the fans know that better than anybody.

What's awful is that the misinformation continues to spread, even after issues have been clarified. Despite best efforts of fans who have been following Shenmue 3's development closer than pretty much anybody in the games media. When we get annoyed or angry that a journalist has cited their own opinions about it as fact, or just disappointed us with a poor title choice like Eurogamer did, suddenly we're 'outraged fanboys' and Twitter post fodder for some game journalists to sneer at.

I've seen Shenmue called a sacred cow. It's anything but. Shenmue has been openly ridiculed for years and years. Sometimes for valid reasons, and sometimes just because. It's only in the last couple of years we've seen articles like the great Guardian piece where the writer looked past the meme-bait voice acting and reputation for being 'boring walking simulator' to find a game they really liked, even without any nostalgic factor on their part.

People like Colin Moriarty writing the game off three months into development is just dumb. Nobody doubts making Shenmue 3 is a monumental task, but Yu Suzuki is a video game icon that this industry owes huge amounts to. Just as much as Miyamoto and others.

Yu Suzuki seems revitalised, energised, and creatively refreshed. That's something to be excited about. An industry great, stripped of his old superstar status, but given new purpose by his fans. It's a lot of pressure, but I definitely think he can handle it.

But nobody wants to read about that, right?

Really well said.

Now get ready for people to skip all of it and ask for the 1st time ever(!) about Sony fully funding the game and how Shenmue fans are just being blind and willfully duped.

Thanks Polygon.

 

[Stephen Stills]

When you end you kickstarter campaign and then come out a few months later saying "Yeah, well, actually, we could need a lot more money to make it look not terrible!"

Good to see you're well informed!

 

[DXB-KNIGHT]

Sony should've funded it if they decided to be revealed at E3. No matter how much it was a generous opportunity that exposure was, asking people for money through a multi-billion company is a mistake and damaging to the brand. They should've done it the proper way like any other successful kickstarter.

 

[Shadoken]

J

I mean, think about it. They created the kickstarter, asked for a certain amount of money to make shenmue 3 and then, after a few days and after they already got money from many, many fans Suzuki came out and straight up told people that, nah, they will only be able to make a REAL Shenmue 3 if they got at least 10 million. Seems like they kind of missed to tell us that when announcing the kickstarter?

So like every Kickstarter ever with Stretch goals then.

J
The campaign was a disaster, the PR was a disaster and, to this day, the messaging is a disaster. When you end you kickstarter campaign and then come out a few weeks later saying "Yeah, well, actually, we could need a lot more money to make it look not terrible!" then that project deserves to be criticised for it. If there was ever one kickstarter that was shady from the very get go, it's this..

This is exactly the point OP is trying to make. Why do words need to be twisted to become negative.

Why does focussing on story and gameplay suddenly translate into "make it look not terrible!"
Its a game with $6.3m in funding and expectations of visuals will be made according to that. You cant go about comparing to modern AAA titles with $30m-$50m budget.


Based on what you said , its obvious you didnt read the Eurogamer article and just made you own assumptions based on the headline.

WHICH IS EXACTLY what people are complaining about. The article itself is good , the headline on the other hand gets people like you to make their own assumptions.

 

[Spaghetti]

Reminder of Rymuth's great post. Seems appropriate for a certain post on this page.

Some of those who are quick to jump to the media's defense really show their colors by using the defense "W-wh-what? Must everything be positive?" It's not about positivity, it's the seemingly laser-focused effort to make every Suzuki interview into a goddamn disaster. The original Eurogamer article didn't even focus on the money aspect, yet that's the headline they decided to go with:

So what started as

Suzuki: I could use more money, the game itself doesn't have to be gorgeous~

became the headline

Suzuki: I could do with more money

and evolved into

Shenmue III's 6 million is not enough!

And finally mutated into

Shenmue III needs more of your money, visuals compromised

It's an ugly game of clickbait tag.

 

[Shadoken]

Reminder of Rymuth's great post. Seems appropriate for a certain post on this page.

Why does it matter? Nobody is going to read it. They will just read the Eurogamer headline and make up their own assumption and call fans delusional.

 

[Jigorath]

Jeff Gerstman was right. Old school Sega fans really are the worst :/

There is nobody to blame here but Suzuki, the team behind the Kickstarter and Sony. They are responsible for the absolutely terrible messaging and for providing weeks and weeks of mixed messaging regarding the financing of the game.

You know what would have been shameful? If the media would have just bought into the hype of OMGSHENMUE and blindly told people how amazing everything about it is going to be.

I mean, think about it. They created the kickstarter, asked for a certain amount of money to make shenmue 3 and then, after a few days and after they already got money from many, many fans Suzuki came out and straight up told people that, nah, they will only be able to make a REAL Shenmue 3 if they got at least 10 million. Seems like they kind of missed to tell us that when announcing the kickstarter?

The campaign was a disaster, the PR was a disaster and, to this day, the messaging is a disaster. When you end you kickstarter campaign and then come out a few months later saying "Yeah, well, actually, we could need a lot more money to make it look not terrible", no matter in what context, then that project deserves to be criticised for it. If there was ever one kickstarter that was shady from the very get go, it's this.

The fact that Shenmue fans don't wanna see this because, hey, it's Shenmue? Fine. I can accept that. But the way they pile onto the media because they dont blindly buy into the hype, stay wary and ask weridly unanswered questions is pretty - yup - shameful.

How does any of this excuse all the clickbait headlines that keep misrepresenting what Yu Suzuki is saying?

Some of those who are quick to jump to the media's defense really show their colors by using the defense "W-wh-what? Must everything be positive?" It's not about positivity, it's the seemingly laser-focused effort to make every Suzuki interview into a goddamn disaster. The original Eurogamer article didn't even focus on the money aspect, yet that's the headline they decided to go with:

So what started as

Suzuki: I could use more money, the game itself doesn't have to be gorgeous~

became the headline

Suzuki: I could do with more money

and evolved into

Shenmue III's 6 million is not enough!

And finally mutated into

Shenmue III needs more of your money, visuals compromised

It's an ugly game of clickbait tag.

 

[Kaako]

Spaghetti post is right on. Really can't wait to see how Yu Suzuki and team rise to this monumental challenge no doubt. It is exciting times ahead my friends. Forget the concerned video game "journalists" and broken record members that keep repeating the same shit over and over; trying to create dirt in any/every crevice they can. You missing the bigger picture fools. We're getting a new fucking Shenmue game, let that sink in a bit!

 

[Windom Earle]

Jeff Gerstman was right. Old school Sega fans really are the worst :/

Nice job of invalidating your post with the first sentence.