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[Erevador]

Thank you GAF for turning this thread around beautifully.

This thread was one wild gamble, but ultimately, we got the WINNING CAN.

 

[harSon]

Actually, it was Adam Boyes, who has also said this within 24hrs of the kickstarter going live after it was announced on the Sony stage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRGlVDi3FHQ&feature=youtu.be&t=1m40s

My mistake, and saying it within 24 hours doesn't mean much when the Kickstarter shattered records and had already likely pulled in $2 million by that point.

 

[Faustek]

I don't know about anyone else but I feel like I paid $500 for Yu Suzuki's autograph and am just getting shenmue funded for free as a perk lol

lol I need to start reading what the prior rewards actually give

But yeah! I got his autograph!! Or rather I'll be getting it and the game as a perk!!
Never did I actually believe I would be able to acquire both Suzuki-san and Iga-sans autographs. Never. Now all that is left is to stalk conventions(Paris expo, Gamescom) and see if I can't shake their hands one day as well

EDIT: Btw does anyone have the excerpt from where Reggie "answers" OPRAINFALL about that a 100k signed petition doesn't mean 100k sales. Because, this is basically that.

 

[Acquiescence]

There are seriously people complaining? What the ever-loving fuck?

Nobody is forcing anybody to put down any money. Without Kickstarter, there would be no Shenmue 3. It's that simple.

No company in their right mind would fund a sequel to a 14 year-old Dreamcast game that 99% of gamers have probably never heard of/played.

But it's actually happening and due to the amount of support/interest shown by the smidgen of gamers that did play the original games, Sony are actually helping with its development now - which will likely expand the scope of the game a good deal more than if Suzuki and co relied solely on a Kickstarter budget.

Some people will complain about anything.

Really can't put it better than that.

 

[Suikoguy]

I think this new type of dual funding is fascinating. The more successful these type of projects go, the more likely you will see more obscure or niche games get put into production.

It's a really great time to be a gamer, when a decade ago things were looking bleak for more niche games. Now the combination of crowd funding and/or improved development tools enabling talented indie developers to make games once thought impossible. Things are looking outright amazing.

 

[Sojgat]

Did people really think this game was going to be funded by reaching 2 million dollars? Really....

Always relevant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKN1Q5SjbeI

 

[PaulExcellent]

Foot? Hmm, ok, never understood that expression, but lets look at the rest of your ridiculous post.

Hmm, you're a Kickstarter expert? You're the owner then? You know how Kickstarter should operate? Maybe gives us some of your credentials then or maybe you'll stay silent because you're talking out of your... well, you know what Oh, now we're gonna turn Bloodborne being made into a bad thing. Evil SONY LET?S ALL SHOUT GUYS. Hmm, I was gonna check your post history but its probably all xbox related no offense. LOL, shame? Repentance? Now you're just trolling...

OK, I will laugh, because your post is getting insane now. Nobody will buy Shenmue? Heh, I guess 2 million+ dollars in pledges just appeared out of thin air? LOL, you were right with your "laugh all you want" comment. But it is US who are laughing at YOU.

Sony will lose its business? IDK if you saw or overslept the last 2 days, but Sony won the E3 it was the best E3 ever, by a consensus. Sony wont lose it's business. But you should stop buying their games nevertheless. Becauise Sony doesnt ned a customre lik you.
tl;dr translation of your post: hurdruoaorudrup ;()

Oooooooooooh, yeah~
I'm really feeling it.

 

[maquiladora]

My mistake, and saying it within 24 hours doesn't mean much when the Kickstarter shattered records and had already likely pulled in $2 million by that point.

Nothing is pulled in until the kickstarter finishes in 31 days. You can remove your pledge at any time until then.

 

[AstroNut325]

This Thread represents modern Fanboyism and Gaming in a nutshell and it is disgusting to see and it makes me sad.

Y's and Sony give you a opportunity to have a Game "Fans" always wanted and people are bitching that Sony wants prove that it can get to a break even point.

People have to realize that this game is not for the main stream audience or gamers. The Kickstarter is just and only for the Fucking Hardcore Shenmue fans, so they can get a game out, that is most likely a financial disaster or not a game publisher want to fund. And it seems likeFans do not give a shit how this games is done. On average people are paying more than 80$ to get this idea of a game, which is insane.
40.000 Backers for such ,most likely, expensive game is not very much tbh, but it shows that some hardcore people really want that game and really go all in for this.

And now people blame sony to want some kind of security, that they do not lose a shit ton of money ? Ask yourself a question. Why did Microsoft, Nintendo, Sega, Acti, Ea or any other publisher try to get the game or try to fund it or even try help Y's? Because they know, that today this game is so niche and so exotic, that it will not be a main stream success and most likely a very high financial risk, that nobody wanted to take or even consider in 14 years. Sony is willing to take this risk, but wanted proof that people do not only demand that game on Twitter, but also that they are ready to back it up financially and take a little bit of Sony's risk. How is this bad ?

People are getting this game cheaper, when they back it up with 30§, but most people just went crazy backing it up. But as I said it is only the most hardcore niche fans and not the main stream.

Sony gets blaimed for not taking a financial enormous risk and not giving a Niche game to all of you without some kind of security. The most people, who back Shenmue III do not give a shit about how, they are in heaven, that Sony even considers the idea of Shenmue III and they where kind enough to give this exotic game this grand stage.

Word for word I agree with this! And I hate the Shenmue games! Heck, I'm one of the people who claimed Shenmue would fail to reach 1 millions not kickstarter years ago.

So much salt and concern trolling. Sony took the best path possible.

 

[The Lamp]

Really not a fan of this approach.

Please. If Microsoft wanted this game, they would have offered to help make it happen. They didn't. Sony is the one who always swoops in and funds weird, niche games. It's no different here.

If you bought an Xbox One for weird niche games by Japanese developers, you made a bad call.

 

[Biker19]

Awesome. Glad to see that the game is really coming to light.

 

[Krejlooc]

Yup, like some of the posters posting that they are going to pull their pledge because they felt that they were scammed into emotionally-pledging by Sony yesterday.
Pretty sure they didn't pledge in the first place.

lmfao I'd french kiss the devil to get Shenmue III. I'd cut off a toe. I'd do part time as a human speed bump.

There isn't anything in the world that could get me to pull my pledge. Hell, I wish I could pledge more, right now, to offset the haters.

 

[Uno Venova]

My mistake, and saying it within 24 hours doesn't mean much when the Kickstarter shattered records and had already likely pulled in $2 million by that point.

I think it means something since people have so long to pull their donations. You think mentioning it beforehand would have changed the trajectory?

 

[USC-fan]

Have to say Adam Boyes doesnt get the recognition he deserves.

 

[4Tran]

What is really funny is that because this game has Sony involvement it will get the proper advertising and marketing. Why can't people be happy about that. This is such a niche series and for the 3rd one to be a reality and sell that would be a dream come true to a lot of us that originally loved the hell out of this game when the first one came out.

I know myself for one was one of the few people that actually played the first one. Not many people had a Dreamcast then.

I want tons of gamers to be able to know about this, I want this project to be brilliant. Kickstarter funds alone would not allow for development and advertising for this to be a reality.

California should be bottling up the bitter tears of a lot of posters. It would solve the huge water crisis going on right now.

Without Sony's involvement, Shenmue III wouldn't have been made at all. The franchise has been available forever, and nobody wanted to fund it. Heck, even Sony themselves were reluctant hence the requirement of a successful Kickstarter. If it weren't for the hard work of Suzuki and influential supporters at Sony, this Kickstarter wouldn't have even been envisioned.

While I agree that many of these arguments are thinly veiled outlets for hardware preferences, I think many people are just honestly concerned about some imagined system in place is about to crumble and thus everything about video games as they know it will cease to be. Such arguments are often rooted in weird forms of morality that I don't think apply to the types of buisness dealings we are talking about. I think, honestly, many of these arguments stem from inexperience in these these areas, as well.

A lot of this stems from a lack of knowledge in how games are funded in general, and how Kickstarter in specific works. Maybe there should be some sort of required reading for anyone posting in these kinds of threads.

 

[sjay1994]

Are people actually mad about this?

Shenmue is niche. This is them seeing if people will "actually vote with their wallet".

Hell, I never even played Shenmue 1 or 2, and I backed this, because I would like to see this game made for the people who really want it.

 

[nib95]

There are seriously people complaining? What the ever-loving fuck?

Nobody is forcing anybody to put down any money. Without Kickstarter, there would be no Shenmue 3. It's that simple.

No company in their right mind would fund a sequel to a 14 year-old Dreamcast game that 99% of gamers have probably never heard of/played.

But it's actually happening and due to the amount of support/interest shown by the smidgen of gamers that did play the original games, Sony are actually helping with its development now - which will likely expand the scope of the game a good deal more than if Suzuki and co relied solely on a Kickstarter budget.

Some people will complain about anything.

Pretty much. Though I'm confident most of the faux outrage is just because Sony is the one behind it instead of their favoured platform. Must be a 'rather not have it at all that have it on a Sony platform' type situation or something lol.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

Foot? Hmm, ok, never understood that expression, but lets look at the rest of your ridiculous post.

Hmm, you're a Kickstarter expert? You're the owner then? You know how Kickstarter should operate? Maybe gives us some of your credentials then or maybe you'll stay silent because you're talking out of your... well, you know what Oh, now we're gonna turn Bloodborne being made into a bad thing. Evil SONY LET?S ALL SHOUT GUYS. Hmm, I was gonna check your post history but its probably all xbox related no offense. LOL, shame? Repentance? Now you're just trolling...

OK, I will laugh, because your post is getting insane now. Nobody will buy Shenmue? Heh, I guess 2 million+ dollars in pledges just appeared out of thin air? LOL, you were right with your "laugh all you want" comment. But it is US who are laughing at YOU.

Sony will lose its business? IDK if you saw or overslept the last 2 days, but Sony won the E3 it was the best E3 ever, by a consensus. Sony wont lose it's business. But you should stop buying their games nevertheless. Becauise Sony doesnt ned a customre lik you.
tl;dr translation of your post: hurdruoaorudrup ;()

 

[Steroyd]

This is why I'm okay with Kickstarter being used this way, it's easy to have 40k people sign a petition saying they will buy the game, it's another to have 40k people to pledge their money in advance to make it a petition with actual substance.

 

[fertygo]

LOL @ People that mad, if Suikoden even given similar chances I would all over it.

 

[Blobbers]

Really makes you wonder how many people are actually outraged over this. The way I see it, there are:
1. fans like us on gaf who are more into the gaming scene and who knew from the get go that should the Kickstarter succeed Sony would fun the game
2. fans who just wanna see Shenmue happen and who either don't care about the intricacies or were ecstatic when they hear Sony was helping out, yay we're getting a better game.

Who's left? This small group of people who can't let go that Sony wouldn't put up a disclaimer?

 

[H4r4kiri]

They could have literally done all of that while being transparent with the Kickstarter. "Yo, we're going to move forward with funding Shenmue III if the fans prove that the interest is there. Vote with your wallet if you want this game to exist and you'll get shit in return." Same end result and it does everything you've described in your post.

To be hoenst, I never thought it would be different. But mostly because I can think.And why do people get nothing ? They get the most requested game they wanted for cheap or with extras. ?

Agreed. We should also thank Microsoft for funding Tomb Raider. For without their contribution abd assistance offloading of devekoper risk we may never have seen it.

Ohh yes lets compare game that is lost for 14 years now, that has no big publisher in the back, and niche to a multimillion selling franchise that sold 9 million units and has a big publisher and was announced multi platform.... omg where are we ?

 

[DeepEnigma]

So is this closer to Sony saving SF5 then?

Can you provide me a link where Sony or Capcom said they needed funding? Or maybe Japanese devs are seeing the juggernaut like sales the PS4, that is reminding them of the PS2 era, hence all the Japanese RPGs and games being announced at E3 when most thought console gaming was dead in the East?

Double the install base makes it an easier choice to accept exclusive funding. And it will be on the PC as well.

MSFT did not "rescue" Tomb Raider, they offered money to have their own Uncharted because they admitted they failed at making a competent option in house to match it.

We still have no clear details as to what the hell the deal even is, since they fumbled that announcement with semantics much like the DRM fiasco they tried explaining to us after the backlash. MSFT PR does sometimes insult gamers at times when they think we cannot see through the backtracking.

Apologies, it's 1am and I've just dragged my eyeballs through forty pages of sodium-speckled hysteria. I'm a tad jaded.

No worries. Totally can understand. This E3 has been some heavy information overload we have not seen in a LONG time of E3s.

 

[The Lamp]

The kickstarter was a ploy. I fucking hate everything.

Most kickstarter tiers gave you the game in exchange for your money, and they told you what you were getting, so I'm confused by your reaction.

Backers weren't giving charity, they were getting products for the money they offered.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

I think this new type of dual funding is fascinating. The more successful these type of projects go, the more likely you will see more obscure or niche games get put into production.

It's a really great time to be a gamer, when a decade ago things were looking bleak for more niche games. Now the combination of crowd funding and/or improved development tools enabling talented indie developers to make games once thought impossible. Things are looking outright amazing.

Absolutely. Things that I wanted made that might have never seen the light of day now have a small chance at life again. That's amazing.

LOL @ People that mad, if Suikoden even given similar chances I would all over it.

Exact game I was thinking of actually.

Hell, I never even played Shenmue 1 or 2, and I backed this, because I would like to see this game made for the people who really want it.

You're a special kind of awesome.

 

[Jomjom]

LOL @ People that mad, if Suikoden even given similar chances I would all over it.

I'd be in for $500. But LOL Konami.

 

[Piggus]

I really gotta figure out a way to play Shenmue I and II. I played a bit of....I I think. At a cousins house as a kid. I didn't get it.

I bought a cheap used Dreamcast to play it and it was totally worth it. The game is rather slow and there's a lot of back and forth as you ask around for information, but there's something really special about it that just makes it feel... real. It's incredibly immersive but in a different way from most open world games, which I think is helped by the fact that the game doesn't hold your hand or point you to exactly where you have to go. You have to ask people for info, actually read signs and house numbers, etc. For III I hope they push the idea of being able to do pretty much anything you want, even if it's mundane and pointless like picking up and holding random objects or buying random stuff from shops, etc. The explorable area in the main town you're in is tiny compared to modern games but it still feels really alive and real, which I love.

 

[Suikoguy]

LOL @ People that mad, if Suikoden even given similar chances I would all over it.

I don't know what I would do if the original dev started that project.
Perhaps I don't want to know...

 

[TsuWave]

weird that people are unhappy with the approach. sony isn't just good guy bank that will randomly support/fund every project gamers want. I don't see the problem with the kickstart to gauge if there is substantial and concrete interest that will transfer into sales/money. chances are they could likely lose money on this due to the series being out of the spotlight for so long yet they are going to turn an internet favorite/request a reality, and yet some people are "not happy with the approach", what?..the alternative would be no game at all so i don't fully understand that stance...

 

[Biker19]

Please. If Microsoft wanted this game, they would have offered to help make it happen. They didn't. Sony is the one who always swoops in and funds weird, niche games. It's no different here.

If you bought an Xbox One for weird niche games by Japanese developers, you made a bad call.

This. When was the last time anyone jumped on Microsoft for all exclusive DLC, Timed-Exclusives, etc. during Xbox 360? Where was the outrage about that? Exactly.

Plus everyone knows that you don't buy Xbox consoles for niche Japanese games. If they did so, then it's their fault.

 

[Bishop89]

Foot? Hmm, ok, never understood that expression, but lets look at the rest of your ridiculous post.

Hmm, you're a Kickstarter expert? You're the owner then? You know how Kickstarter should operate? Maybe gives us some of your credentials then or maybe you'll stay silent because you're talking out of your... well, you know what Oh, now we're gonna turn Bloodborne being made into a bad thing. Evil SONY LET?S ALL SHOUT GUYS. Hmm, I was gonna check your post history but its probably all xbox related no offense. LOL, shame? Repentance? Now you're just trolling...

OK, I will laugh, because your post is getting insane now. Nobody will buy Shenmue? Heh, I guess 2 million+ dollars in pledges just appeared out of thin air? LOL, you were right with your "laugh all you want" comment. But it is US who are laughing at YOU.

Sony will lose its business? IDK if you saw or overslept the last 2 days, but Sony won the E3 it was the best E3 ever, by a consensus. Sony wont lose it's business. But you should stop buying their games nevertheless. Becauise Sony doesnt ned a customre lik you.
tl;dr translation of your post: hurdruoaorudrup ;()

 

[goldenpp72]

A lot of people in this topic don't seem to realize that this project is not likely being designed to generate profit, it is likely at best a break even or mild profit expectation that is being done as a sign of good faith towards adoring fans. Shenmue as a series is probably just as known for its quality as it is for its excessive budget and absolutely atomic bomb status relative to its budget. It's literally the poster child of financial failures in gaming and the sequel was cut off at a nasty cliff hanger to boot.

Fans have been begging for ANY opportunity to get a sequel made because they know how unlikely it would be due to the financial failure of not one but two entries in the series. Just days ago if you had asked me the least likely game sequel to happen, I would have told you Shenmue III.

Anyone who is against this is a heartless jackass as far as i'm concerned, this is Sony actually doing something kind for a demographic that is passionate but not big enough to be profitable on their own. Just look at the figures on Kickstarter, that's a lot of money given by a very small amount of people. If they funded a Shenmue III on their own with a proper budget it would probably go in the 20+ million range and not even break 500k at this point due to how long it has been, in this instance there is no better usage for a service like Kickstarter.

 

[Protomanx13]

Agreed. We should also thank Microsoft for funding Tomb Raider. For without their contribution abd assistance offloading of devekoper risk we may never have seen it.

You can't compare Tomb Raider, a franchise that sold very well, to Shemui 3, a franchise that pretty much is dead. In addition, non-PS4 owner can still play the game on pc while Rise of the Tomb Raider is strictly limited to Xbox owner. How is that a fair comparison

 

[KillerSloth]

Don't shoot me but, can someone explain what types of game shenmue is? Heard a lot about them but never played the originals.

 

[Can Crusher]

I just want to say to my shenmue bredas... we fuckin made it son, we fuckin made it.

 

[gamergirly]

Please. If Microsoft wanted this game, they would have offered to help make it happen. They didn't. Sony is the one who always swoops in and funds weird, niche games. It's no different here.

If you bought an Xbox One for weird niche games by Japanese developers, you made a bad call.

It's like Nintendo and Bayoneeta 2 again

 

[timetokill]

Pretty much. Though I'm confident most of the faux outrage is just because Sony is the one behind it instead of their favoured platform. Must be a 'rather not have it at all that have it on a Sony platform' type situation or something lol.

Yeah, I don't think there's need for outrage. I'm not "thrilled" with how this was handled but I am ecstatic that this is coming out. And on PC no less! It's marvelous.

That said, you'd think there would be some reflection after all the Sony fans bitching about Bayonetta 2, :lol

 

[MiszMasz]

My mistake, and saying it within 24 hours doesn't mean much when the Kickstarter shattered records and had already likely pulled in $2 million by that point.

They could all still cancel their pledge over the next thirty days.
I'll grant that not everything was laid bare for all to see immediately, but it's out there now and all in good time.

 

[Infernostew]

Why are people acting like the money that fans are funding isn't going towards the game but right into Sony's pocket? Even though Sony is giving dev money, they aren't giving them a blank check. Every dollar helps to make this game as good as it can be.

 

[Krejlooc]

Seriously, I don't know how anybody can think of anything other than OMFG WE'RE GETTING SHENMUE 3 HOLY FUCK right now

I mean... HOLY FUCK.

 

[jusufin]

lmfao I'd french kiss the devil to get Shenmue III. I'd cut off a toe. I'd do part time as a human speed bump.

There isn't anything in the world that could get me to pull my pledge. Hell, I wish I could pledge more, right now, to offset the haters.

lol, I wish they had something between the 500 and 10000 dollar tier for fans. I could definitely afford more than $500 if they would just give me the option!

 

[Walpurgis]

LOL wish the PC conference wasn't in 5, this has been special

You bastard.

 

[Windom Earle]

What is really funny is that because this game has Sony involvement it will get the proper advertising and marketing. Why can't people be happy about that. This is such a niche series and for the 3rd one to be a reality and sell that would be a dream come true to a lot of us that originally loved the hell out of this game when the first one came out.

I know myself for one was one of the few people that actually played the first one. Not many people had a Dreamcast then.

I want tons of gamers to be able to know about this, I want this project to be brilliant. Kickstarter funds alone would not allow for development and advertising for this to be a reality.

California should be bottling up the bitter tears of a lot of posters. It would solve the huge water crisis going on right now.

Yup, my initial reaction to this thread as a backer was "awesome, this is what we were expecting/hoping for".

 

[nib95]

I just want to say to my shenmue bredas... we fuckin made it son, we fuckin made it.

 

[Nameless]

I'm going to act like this news also confirms a remaster collection, since it would be pretty silly to cap off a trilogy after a 15 year hiatus without giving your base access to the entire story.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

This is why I'm okay with Kickstarter being used this way, it's easy to have 40k people sign a petition saying they will buy the game, it's another to have 40k people to pledge their money in advance to make it a petition with actual substance.

Right. Before Kickstarter was even a thing, I remember Gabe Newell and some others talking about similar forms of crowdfunding, and this always seemed like the poster child for that kind of effort. Here's a thread from 2009 that I was thinking of:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=368723

Post #22 jokingly proposes fans funding Shenmue 3.

 

[MidBoss]

Sony just shot themselves in the foot.

I don't know how much the rest of you know about Kickstarter (I'm an expert), but transparency and honesty are huge parts of it. It's not like it was with Bloodborne where you can become successful by help funding and publishing it. If you help fund a game in Kickstarter, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

What this means is the fans, after hearing about this, is not going to want to back Shenmue at all, nor will they purchase any of Sony's games they help fund in the future. This is HUGE. You can laugh all you want, but Sony has alienated an entire market with this move.

Sony, remove all your funding or you can kiss your business goodbye.

Does this make you feel better?

 

[Averon]

A lot of this stems from a lack of knowledge in how games are funded in general, and how Kickstarter in specific works. Maybe there should be some sort of required reading for anyone posting in these kinds of threads.

Yes. It seems that a lot of people have some idealistic notion of what KS should be and not what it is. Going by the arguments in this thread, anything funded by KS that is later further funded by more traditional means twists and pollute the spirit of KS.

 

[Onimusha78]

You bastard.

I'm sorry man...

 

[CorporateClown]

Truly a legendary thread filled with every neogaf cliché I can think of. I hope it continues to deliver!