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[RibMan]

Launching the Kickstarter on an E3 stage was more about raising awareness for Shenmue III than anything else. It's odd to see some people are upset that Yu Suzuki chose E3 to announce it.

Ask yourself the following. What is the biggest platform Yu Suzuki could have chosen to raise awareness for a 14 year old franchise that has an audience comprised of mostly older gamers? The E3 stage is still the biggest platform in gaming to raise awareness and garner support for a gaming software product. If you're trying to raise financial support for your gaming product then, well, it makes sense to do it at the biggest platform possible. You can't ignore facts and common sense when it comes to business.

 

[TheSpoiler]

It seems very, very shady. If Sony is backing the horse 100% they shouldn't need KS. I feel like $2mil is nowhere near enough to make a game like this.

Hell, look at Bloodstained. That ended up at $5mil plus and that's a 2D Igavania game, not a full blown 3D adventure.

Actually, Bloodstained is said to have investors who needed a KS to prove the game was worth making. So...

 

[jholmes]

Exposition from being a major announcement at E3 conference is way bigger than exposition to just launching a Kickstarter and announcing it on twitter.

If you think Yooka-Laylee and Bloodstained hit the ground running the way they did because they posted about it on Twitter you are really uninformed about the situation.

Yet it's already at about half its goal in less then 3 hours.

It's working.

It's working because Shenmue fans are insane. I didn't say Sony was detrimental to getting the word out, I said they were unnecessary.

 

[Macattk15]

Not sure anyone said it.

You can't make a game in today's age on 2 million dollars.

This is likely a "proof of concept" kind of kickstarter ... and I'm assuming/betting Sony will be involved in funding the project completion.

 

[NervousXtian]

I think it's a joke. It made Sony look bad.. basically begging fans for money to make the game because they didn't want to fund it themselves.

I want the game, but I think it was poor form from Sony.. and no offense Sony came out with the big time names in the conference.. but when you break it down:

FF7 Remake - Multiplat

Shenmue 3 - Kickstarter

TLG - looks like a PS3 game and trailer had technical problems

On the surface, it's enough to give superfans a heart attack.. but once that hype is gone.. you take a look and think.. yeah.. not so much.

BTW: Shenmue 3 KS didn't need the E3 stage.. also I think people overlook how many people watch these things live. It would have been plastered on all the big gaming sites no matter what.

This was just Sony tossing the wool over your eyes making it seem like they delivered the Big 3. They are delivering one of them.

 

[lt519]

Agreed, it was pretty weird, wasn't a fan of it.

 

[Anth0ny]

I am just happy Shenmue III is happening I don't care how.

yep

It could have been at E3 in front of millions of viewers or posted randomly on NeoGAF, I still would have funded the shit out of it all the same.

I feel like the Kickstarter is there to gauge interest, then Sony will help with funding from there.

 

[FinalStageBoss]

Mam there's no way in HELL this will only cost 2 million, especially if they want to make a "true Shenmue experience". Whoever the investors are will use it to gauge interest.

 

[Salsa]

I think a Mr. Mark Cerny was involved behind the scenes in making this happen. It's pretty obvious given the friendship that he has with Yu Suzuki. In return Yu gave them console exclusivity for giving him a boost on their press conference.

uh yeah that's insane.

it's Shenmue 3. Trading "press boost" when this would get announced everywhere on the planet in 1 minute if Yu just posted it on twitter in exchange of blocking an entire console's player base is ridiculous

 

[zeopower6]

It was good to publicise this kickstarter, but..

it is confusing for Sony to announce this without being clear on what is Sony commitment to it, you are correct op, to call this out.

It seems like the Deep Silver + Iga thing, but when that launched, Deep Silver was a 'secret publisher'.

 

[Krejlooc]

Wasn't Shenmue 2 around 60+ million to make?

Shenmue, all of it, cost about $40 million to make. For the record - the reason it cost that much to make is because they created an entire, revolutionary engine from scratch, built content for all of shenmue I and II and some of shenmue III, scrapped it, then started over on the dreamcast, and rebuilt all of shenmue I and II.

Of course something like that would cost a large figure in 1999.

By contrast, this uses UE4, so no tool or engine creation needed. And they're not going to make this, then remake it all over again on the same budget. And the $2 million isn't the full budget.

 

[Mr. RHC]

To me it seems this is just part of the marketing for the game. This game will be sufficiently financed by Sony, either way.

It's a landmark Kickstarter, a 2 million heavy one. Kickstarter get's its share and both the game and Kickstarter draw further attention.

I do think however that this runs against the original philosophy of Kickstarter. One could argue whether or not this game would have been made without fan support. This Kickstarter also acts as a survey for popular demand and it's obviously there. Everybody knew.

 

[Sweep14]

It's a huge PR win and garners Sony a lot of free goodwill in exchange for giving Yu Suzuki a few minutes on stage to announce something people have been begging for for years.

I'm not clear if the game is being released on PS4 and PC only, or if it's on the Xbox One as well.

PS4 and PC only : It's clear that Sony is involved in it more than just with this kickstarter

 

[kurahador]

I fail to a problem with this. It's not like Sony the one asking for money, it was Yu Suzuki.

 

[bearythebear]

It's basically a pre-order page at this point for the "bigger" games...

 

[DopeyFish]

I don't get this. If you only pledge what you would have paid for the game anyway, how is it bleeding you dry?

Big games fund little games, even some that people find odd or weird or don't see the value in until later.

Just like in movies.

This could start a slippery slope into gamers funding only what they want... and all the risk is put on the customer instead of the publisher.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Sony knows this is a financial flop in the making.

 

[The Hermit]

Their whole E3 conference is REALLY sneaky once you get past the OMFG kneejerk reaction.

TLG! But...it looks exactly the same as it did 6 years, and its still not very exciting. "2016" huh...

FF7! But...who knows when that will ever come out, see Versus and KH3.

SHENMUE 3! But...a goddamn Kickstarter campaign? Pretttttty tacky

Meanwhile, the Vita is deader than dead, and Sony's 2015 line-up still lookin' real flabby and sick. They hope you don't notice that as they talk about the future.

Its kinda awesome to see dreams being announced but neither TLG nor FF7/r felt "ready". The kickstarter thing probably had some Sony incentive, so I dont see anything too wrong.

Actually, If you think about it, PC gamers won in the end.

 

[JimmyRustler]

It sets such a bad precedent

While I'm happy people are getting their game... kickstarter has absolutely no place on an E3 main stage... EVER

What precedent? There is barely an other game anyone could pull something like this off without being booed off the stage.

So much negativity here. It's pathethic. Sony did a good thing by giving Suzuki the publicity and still you guys bitch about it. I have no words.

 

[Amir0x]

I don't see how it's weird honestly. It's a high profile way to get attention to a game fans want, and now can support and get. Just as much a game announcement as anything else.

 

[Salsa]

To me it seems this is just part of the marketing for the game. This game will be sufficiently financed by Sony, either way.

you say this as if its just chill or not a new thing

think about what this could mean; are studios now basically funding games alongside the actual players in a way that just means minimizing risk for them while maximizing their brand?


and like, having absolutely 0 transparency about it? they said nothing nor made anything clear regarding their involvement

 

[nib95]

They gave a game that so many want, the best possible chance of not only getting made, but getting the highest budget possible. That's great in my books. I've wanted Shenmue 3 since forever.

 

[Kyuur]

It's really no different than having a 3rd party company announce a game with no footage and then opening pre-orders. Sony had it at their conference because it's a game on a Sony platform, just like any other 3rd party title. I don't know why Sony has to have some sort of stake in it.

 

[Absoludacrous]

It's win/win/win for everyone.

Sony gets the hype for announcing it.

The kickstater gets a ton of exposure and press.

We get Shenmue III.

I don't know that it sets any kind of precedent, except for long dead series. You can't do something like this Little Big Planet and get the same reaction, and I would assume they know that.

 

[GustyGardens]

You mean they wouldn't stay quiet about a huge project they are helping with funding before the biggest video game conference in the world.?

And you realize that Sony is funding SFV, which is for PS4 and PC, right?

You are trying really hard to paint this evil narrative and it just ain't working.

Okay, so I stand corrected about the PS4/PC thing, but my opinion still stands. I'm not trying to paint anything here, but I'm allowed to have a different opinion. I felt the same way when they launched the PS4 a couple years ago, so, this isn't anything new for me. That being said, I bought a PS4 at launch, and I plan to back Shenmue because I think the game should exist for the fans that want it.

 

[PeskyToaster]

You stage the kickstarter then take that money to investors/publishers and say look how much people want this and you get your real capital. It's a great way to prove the viability of potentially risky properties.

 

[maxiell]

Companies see Kickstarter as a promotional tool to stir up fan interest and encourage community participation.

I'm struggling to see exactly what is wrong with seeing it this way. I doubt the full game will cost $30, so I think it's probably good for the consumers, too.

 

[Delstius]

This could have been handled way better but I'm just happy it's happening at this point. No one wanted to finance it anyway. Might as well take the publicity on the E3 stage and launch the damn thing.

 

[Vandiger]

Well I have no problems with it, I backed it as soon as I read about it.

 

[Barry Burton]

I am just happy Shenmue III is happening I don't care how.

.

 

[Falchion]

I don't have a problem with the fans using their money to dictate game funding, but only if the early supporters end up getting it cheaper than what it will retail for as a sort of reward for their risk.

 

[Shizuka]

It's the same as launching a Kickstarter campaign for a game that's already getting funded by a publisher.

 

[NervousXtian]

I don't see how it's weird honestly. It's a high profile way to get attention to a game fans want, and now can support and get. Just as much a game announcement as anything else.

A single tweet and this shit would have been on EVERY gaming site and Neogaf within 10 minutes.

Shenmue 3 didn't need this to get coverage.

 

[dr_octagon]

I agree with OP

It's not the kickstarter model, Sony, Shenmue or fans wanting the game that is an issue.

I don't think they should have announced it when it's not for sale, due for release in the future or in development. It's asking for money and playing on expectation and goodwill. Funding a certain project when other titles won't get the same PR - even if it's 'guaranteed' to release on that platform. That is selective and not an even playing field and such a big name and fanbase would mean the kickstarter would have been a success anyway (there has been ongoing interest for ages). This is calculated move and benefits both parties but I can see why people disapprove.

In contrast, they don't show anything about Last Guardian's development. Yet Sony will pre-announce crowd funding for a game which we hasn't officially been announced as being on their platform. It may be a given that this game is coming out but we know fuck all about it. Also, there is the potential for it not working out (however unlikely). Being a fan favourite or a guaranteed success based on hopes and expectations isn't a game announcement. Here are some nice images, nostalgia and a japanese man talking english to distract you.

 

[Regulus Tera]

I think it's fucking brilliant. Get the masses to pay for the game they want, upfront, and invite them on the biggest audience possible. I'm surprised it hasn't happened before.

 

[Spaghetti]

honestly i don't think it could work for anything other than shenmue 3

 

[InsaneZero]

Games are expensive. Especially a cult classic from the Dreamcast era. If gamers show they want the game and get a copy in the process via Kickstarter, then Sony takes care of the rest. Everyone wins.

And like I said, I think that pushing the responsibilities of the publisher to the fans while still retaining the benefits of publicity is a dangerous precedent to set. I don't have any problems with publishers using Kickstarter if they themselves are out of the picture.

 

[Willy Wanka]

What would be weird is if Sony get credit for it and haven't contributed towards it financially. I think they probably will have financial input though, which is why the overall kickstarter goal is fairly low and there is no Xbox One version to buy.

I mean it might be the wrong attitude to have but like most other people, I'm just over the moon that it's happening.

 

[jholmes]

So much negativity here. It's pathethic. Sony did a good thing by giving Suzuki the publicity and still you guys bitch about it. I have no words.

Yeah someone should really give Sony a medal for this. I'm sure next year they'll let Amnesty International on stage to ask for money because they're just a bunch of great guys.

 

[Neff]

Shenmue, all of it, cost about $40 million to make. For the record - the reason it cost that much to make is because they created an entire, revolutionary engine from scratch, built content for all of shenmue I and II and some of shenmue III, scrapped it, then started over on the dreamcast, and rebuilt all of shenmue I and II.

Of course something like that would cost a large figure in 1999.

By contrast, this uses UE4, so no tool or engine creation needed. And they're not going to make this, then remake it all over again on the same budget. And the $2 million isn't the full budget.

Let's not forget the voice acting either, which was substantial. I fully expect them to dispense with voice acting for the peripheral characters, if not entirely.

 

[The One and Done™]

Why does it matter?

 

[Morrigan Stark]

I still fail to see the issue.

Can anyone explain, in clear and concrete terms, why they feel this is "shady" and that it "sets a bad precedent"?

I really don't get it. And I couldn't care less for Shenmue whatsoever, this isn't me being a fangirl or something.

 

[Bamboo Boy]

It's funny, because people give all the praise to Sony and the ones that is giving a resurrection to this franchise are just Kickstarter and the fans themselves.

If kickstarter didn't exist, neither Shenmue III would be.

A clever move from Sony, tho.

 

[Zedox]

It only worked because it was Shenmue 3. The only game left that can do this is Half Life 3.


WAIT. Shenmue 3 is real...that means...HALF LIFE 3 is CONFIRMED!

 

[zeopower6]

It's funny, because people give all the praise to Sony and the ones that is giving a resurrection to this franchise are just Kickstarter and the fans themselves.

If kickstarter didn't exist, neither Shenmue III would be.

Well... to be honest, Sony is probably footing a large amount of the bill if they raise 2 million. >_>

If you read the KS, it says that if this doesn't get funded, there's no Shenmue 3.

Where else would you get as much publicity as on the main stage of an E3 presser?

 

[Htown]

The stage reveal was nakedly a marketing move. It does leave a pretty sour taste in my mouth

If you're averse to marketing moves, you probably shouldn't be watching a 90 minute marketing move that's held on a stage in front of a crowd and streamed over the internet.

 

[Tesseract]

shenmue online

shenmue city

shenmue 3

this is rampage 3 tier video game crowdfunding

 

[qa_engineer]

It's funny, because people give all the praise to Sony and the ones that is giving a resurrection to this franchise are just Kickstarter and the fans themselves.

If kickstarter didn't exist, neither Shenmue III would be.

Yeah dude. Totally. A game of this magnitude only cost 2MM to make.

 

[PrimeTime]

The game will not cost $2 million to fund. Sony is using this as an opportunity to evaluate demand and I'm prettry sure Sony has an agreement worked out that x dollars raised via kickstarter will guarantee y dollars from Sony.

 

[rockman zx]

Nothing wrong with it in my opinion but we don't know if Sony did it just to help Yu (Yu and Cerni are friends), or they could have another reasons.