Mista
Banned
Whoever thought Shenmue 3 was going to sell well should take his head outta his arse
Yes
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Shenmue III sales flopped
- Thread starter CyberPanda
- Start date
- Sales-Age
Joshmyersbv
Member
Not surprised, the game felt like it was in development for forever. When the game finally came out it looked and played like it needed another 4 years of development. I knew the moment the main character looked and talked like the slow guy who used to bag my groceries at Kroger it was in trouble.
Last edited:
Azelover
Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was.
Me and a lot of fans had assumed the old ones didn't sell because of the platforms they were on. Shenmue III is on PS4 and PC, which are popular platforms. And at least conceptually, the game was supposed to get marketing support from Sony and Epic, outside of publishing by Deep Silver.
But, I think at the end the game turned out not good enough. And, I'm not talking just about graphics and the outdated animations. Even for fans, the game was largely underwhelming, the story was underwhelming. The team made the wrong decisions. They sacrificed the wrong things in designing the game.. and as the launch date was approaching, the momentum was fading.
It could have been a huge game, but Yu's team made the wrong choices imo. I don't know who's to blame for that. We're certainly not gonna get more games from this franchise. Which is a pity..
Last edited:
Slings and Arrows
Banned
Gamepass when?
Tiamat2san
Member
What’s the date for the next Kickstarter ?
i guess it’s our only hope beside Sony or MS really pay for the game.
i guess it’s our only hope beside Sony or MS really pay for the game.
Codswallop_
Neophyte
Disagree. As usual most of these negative reactions are from people that never even played it joining in on the hater parade. The game still has a 70 on metacritic (8 user score) and overall the fans mostly like it, hardly a stain. I don't think the game was perfect, but if the saga ends here I'm glad we at least had one more trip into Yu's Shenmue world.
As far as this being some kind of scam, I don't know what people expected. It's obvious a lot of work went into this, and it's still a 30+ hour game, made on a budget that's a fraction of what it costs to make a AAA game these days.
Humdinger
Member
That's unfortunate but not surprising. It just wasn't getting very good reception, and both the gameplay and the graphics seemed badly outdated (at least to me, although admittedly I'm not a Shenmue fan). It's too bad for the developer and all the people who worked hard to get it out.
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
Mild shock gif. Shenmue was never good imo
Ten_Fold
Member
Game looked like it needed at least another 6 months to a year in the oven. Animations looks like it was really a dreamcast game, and the graphics could've been better since the game isn't some insanely huge world. I just think that people was hype to see it return but didn't really have interest in purchasing the game.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
And this game was somehow made with Unreal 4.
Shenmue is one of those niche games with online gamers drooling over it. Yet online presence doesn't equate to sales.
It's like seeing people and websites all say Bloodborne is an awesome game, yet it only sold about 2 million copies.... the same amount as Knack.
But did it sell dreamcasts
You know what's funny?
The original game had actually good sales, in US it even managed to break 500,00, and that's considering it was released there a month and half after the PS2.
A.Romero
Member
I love Shenmue and I was planning to be there day 1 but they decided to go for the EGS strategy.
I'm glad Suzuki made some money (I hope he reinvests it into the 4th game) and I will get it once it comes out on Steam... Unless it comes out on Plus first.
I hope Shenmue has a place in today's gaming landscape. They need to refresh the formula, though.
Still, one more community loved dev who thinks they can have success without it's publisher. It seems only IGA has really made it so far.
I'm glad Suzuki made some money (I hope he reinvests it into the 4th game) and I will get it once it comes out on Steam... Unless it comes out on Plus first.
I hope Shenmue has a place in today's gaming landscape. They need to refresh the formula, though.
Still, one more community loved dev who thinks they can have success without it's publisher. It seems only IGA has really made it so far.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
mistake 3: Just before release, Suzuki doing interview rounds saying how he needs another 4-5 games to round up the story. Literally EVERYONE wanted a Shenmue 3 to conclude the story and cliffhanger of S2. Instead we got another chapter that goes nowhere. If this game actually had a conclusion, it would off been along awaited trilogy end and go out in style even though the dated mechanics and graphics.
Wolfgang Jr
Banned
They should have tried making it good.
Not gonna lie I'd be interested in seeing how another kickstarter for shenmue would go after the debacle here.
Lionel Richie
Member
I haven't played this game, but one common criticism I see about it coming from fans like Joe from Game Sack is how inconsequential the story feels. That's such a huge waste, fans have been waiting for this game forever and to deliver a filler episode when it comes out? You don't do that. I get that a lot of the Shenmue appeal is the menial side of it, just establishing a routine and not going full anime about it. I think they overdid it though, it's like Chrono Trigger 2 comes out and instead of being about Lavos returning, it's about Lucca needing new glasses.
Wasn't Shenmue originally planned to have 5 games?
Maybe It's Medicine?
Member
Given the uproar over Epic exclusivity, you would think this game had a rather large fan base. Just goes to show, small dogs bark the loudest. Yakuza series does this sort of thing so much better. I'm just sort of annoyed that this piece of shit got three fucking games while some of my favorite games from yesteryear can't even get a bare bones remaster. Looking at you handheld Castlevania games.
Last edited:
Rest
All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
down 2 orth
Member
Lol, Epic Store
BacklashWave534
Member
Agreed. I returned the first one the same day I bought it and got Skies of Arcadia instead. Best decision I’ve ever made.
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
The uproar over EGS was not coming from Shenmue fans.
EGS uproar against everything EGS related is a phenomenon of its own.
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
When Shenmue II came out he made it clear that the story had many many chapters left. Maybe with a lot more Kickstarter funding instead of console warring drama (“KS is a scam, Sony is paying for it!” etc...), but even then it was quite clear that closing the story in a single game would have been super shit.
Kagey K
Banned
Most of us will be dead before the Saga is finished at this rate. Longest revenge story ever.
Nero_PR
Banned
Savage as always! But the truth hurts.
I liked Shenmue back in the day. But this is like going back 20 years in gaming but with almost no benefits of these 20 years of advancement... The thing gotta stuck in time and was stubborn of changing. Not surprised at all.
I love the series, but don't count on me for Shenmue 4 if they keep it up stuck in the Dreamcast era.
Last edited:
CrisPy2019
Member
Well. I don't want to buy a Sega game on PlayStation. And I don't want to buy PC games on the Epic game store.
Their own fault.
1. Because Sony killed Sega.
2. I want less launchers on PC not more.
(Thank God I got BL3 for free 5times)
Their own fault.
1. Because Sony killed Sega.
2. I want less launchers on PC not more.
(Thank God I got BL3 for free 5times)
Last edited:
Hissing Sid
Member
I get that the director originally wanted the story to have more episodes than three, and maybe that was feasible back in the days when his star was still hanging on in there, the series was still relevant and his name could maybe drum up interest.
But many many years later when you’ve burned through the atmosphere and the only peeps holding a flame for your games are a relatively small group of hardcore fans, the very same fans who just threw you a lifeline....then maybe it’s time to scale down your grand vision and advance the story accordingly.
I mean, unless this thing goes the way of Star Citizen with mega fans willing to fund you for all eternity (Unlikely), then there’s a very good chance that you’ve just ‘Half Lifed’ the fans who have fed and clothed you for the past several years, Mr Suzuki sir.
But many many years later when you’ve burned through the atmosphere and the only peeps holding a flame for your games are a relatively small group of hardcore fans, the very same fans who just threw you a lifeline....then maybe it’s time to scale down your grand vision and advance the story accordingly.
I mean, unless this thing goes the way of Star Citizen with mega fans willing to fund you for all eternity (Unlikely), then there’s a very good chance that you’ve just ‘Half Lifed’ the fans who have fed and clothed you for the past several years, Mr Suzuki sir.
Last edited:
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
If this 4 year old article is still accurate, the story is supposed to be 4-5 games
Shenmue creator: Story has 11 chapters, ideally '4 or 5 games' in the series
Yu Suzuki, the creator of the Shenmue series, staged an AMA on Reddit yesterday evening and revealed that 11 chapters make up the full Shenmue story, which returns soon with the Kickstarted Shenmue...
www.polygon.com
Last edited:
mejin
Member
but suzuki is always talking about money to make sequels. there is no magic here. Shenmue is a black hole for money.
Hissing Sid
Member
If this 4 year old article is still accurate, the story is supposed to be 4-5 games
Shenmue creator: Story has 11 chapters, ideally '4 or 5 games' in the series
Yu Suzuki, the creator of the Shenmue series, staged an AMA on Reddit yesterday evening and revealed that 11 chapters make up the full Shenmue story, which returns soon with the Kickstarted Shenmue...
Yeah well grand visions are all very nice if you’re George Lucas and your Ip is Star Wars (Past tense obviously), but Shenmue? Yu Suzuki?
When you’re having to beg coin off fans for your game, you might want to dial back your expectations a touch because perhaps, just perhaps you might not get the chance to make further instalments.
Last edited:
cormack12
Gold Member
If they were expecting it to sell like a mainstream title, then yeah I guess the figures would be underwhelming. If they were expecting it to just shift a small number of copies as an homage to nostalgia then I guess it meets expectations. Just another example of how internet noise doesn't translate to the real pulse of the gaming community as a whole.
TheWanderingOgre
Member
It is so dumb to downplay a game because "it is dated versus today games". Imagine saying the same about a movie or better yet a musical record.
Its even dumber to say it about Shenmue III, a work make possible only because of the fans and paid for in part by us the fans.
Us the fans, that demanded time and again for Shenmue III to not stray away from the original two Dreamcast games.
People really not care about context in reviewing and critizing a videogame these days?
Its even dumber to say it about Shenmue III, a work make possible only because of the fans and paid for in part by us the fans.
Us the fans, that demanded time and again for Shenmue III to not stray away from the original two Dreamcast games.
People really not care about context in reviewing and critizing a videogame these days?
Javthusiast
Banned
I see people defending the non finished story online by saying he always had a plan for 4-5 games etc. But after the franchise being dead for so long and only being brought back in a cheap kickstarter way, it is all Yu Suzukis fault for not rewriting the script and finish it out in this game. Cut some of the walking around asking for random shit fat. xD
Rest
All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
I'm pretty sure SEGA killed SEGA.
PhilipDoesMatter
Member
Anyone suprised?
Rolling_Start
Banned
I kickstarted Shenmue 3. Was promised a PC digital version of the game.
Got it.
Now I'm hearing complaints that it's too much like Shenmue 1 and 2. Like ... I thought that was the fucking point?
Would kickstart Shenmues 4, 5 and 6.
Got it.
Now I'm hearing complaints that it's too much like Shenmue 1 and 2. Like ... I thought that was the fucking point?
Would kickstart Shenmues 4, 5 and 6.
