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[David___]

So now to more important questions.. Are any of the tech gods at Sony Worldwide Studios going to help this game? It would be amazing if GG or ND or SSM can lend a technical hand.

Doubtful since if they were going to go through that route they wouldve collaborated with Japan Studio and it wouldve been fully exclusive.

 

[Laevateinn]

From all the work AM2 was doing at the end of Shenmue 2, working on generating enormous, organic forests, and what they said in the livestream about taking place in smaller villages, I think it's pretty obvious this one takes place in rural, wooded china.

I am curious to see what Yu Suzuki's forest simulation algorithms look like. Shenmue I and II were awesome because they did 2 very different things - Shenmue I was an insanely intricately detailed tiny city, where everything was scripted for months upon months down to the smallest detail. Shenmue II was, of course, a full simulation of one of the largest cities on the planet. It's neat that they're doing something different yet equally ambitious with Shenmue III. There are videos recently of Yu Suzuki talking about how they generated forests at the end of shenmue II and where the tech would have eventually gone, and how he had created this system to store ridiculously huge, detailed forests into tiny pieces of code that resided a very little space in memory. Crazy stuff, especially for 2000.

I have no idea what type of odd jobs they'll have this time. But man I can't wait. This is going to be so freaking cool.

I can't wait to play Yu Suzuki's fishing simulator.

 

[thelastword]

None of them, that was why they gave Suzuki the permission for 3.
They were probably laughing their ass off behind his back.

He surely showed them too.....

 

[keisuke999]

lol @ people complaining about this.

Either Sony helps, or Shenmue 3 never happens.

Same with Nintendo with Rodeo, same with Bayonetta 2, same with indies, same with...

 

[H4r4kiri]

This is all very logical, and I agree. But Sony took advantage of hype to manipulate it's audience. You can see that as bad or not, but it's true. One can see why Sony revealing they would help back the kickstarter themselves would dissuade rabid fan-pledging. So they opted out of revealing this fact. Even though this scenario was obvious to a lot of us, myself included - it doesn't stop the fact that a little dis-ingenuity was at play.

Just because Sony is the massive corporation and we are the fans - seriously, in this day-and-age of consumer entertainment - doesn't mean we should be OK with not being told the whole truth. If only because this may be the first of many big-company funded Kickstarters. Sure its ok with Shenmue, but what if (to take it to the impossible extreme) next year Activision are asking fans to fund Call of Duty with the same premise? #SaveCoD

comparing apple and bananas here aren't we ? Shenmue vs CoD? A financial disaster to a goldmine

 

[lupinko]

They should, like, hire Yu Suzuki to make some games for them.

Like Virtua Fighter or Outrun.

Crazy idea, I know.

After Final Showdown, it showed that AM2 is capable of delivering a great VF without Yu.

It took them many revisions sure but they got to it!

Vanilla VF5 was bad, R was better but FS was ideal.

 

[Handy Fake]

Sega is just letting it happen. They've agreed to let Yu Suzuki use the license and IP if Yu Suzuki funds it entirely himself.

And, being the baller he is, Yu Suzuki has done just that. I wonder how many at Sega honestly ever thought he would pull this off.

I suppose a lot of kudos has to go to Sega over this, actually. Would have been so easy to drown in the Sea of Asshattery that has claimed both the good ship Atari and the S.S. Konami.

Good to see a company let their oft-abused fledgling out into the wild to see how it fares on it own.

 

[LaMeRz]

Well, assuming this winds up being a AAA retail release (which I assume it is), the basic $29 commitment will probably still result in a discount even if you factor in interest.

Agreed. Great discount and people getting the game they have been waiting for. Assuming $60 for the game so no way you would get that much interest by just putting into standard investments.

But Sony hiding behind the veil of lets support the small guy just offset the risk onto the consumers, which is a great business move by them, just feels dishonest.

 

[ps3ud0]

Sony deserve a standing ovation for this. Fuck the haters.


1. Sony is financially backing 14 year old dead franchise that NOBODY was willing to pick. IF you don't know what is big deal about this, think this way.

MS in their 360 heyday when they basically poured endless money into Japanese market, ignored shenmue. Yeah. shenmue was THAT DEAD, mother fuckers.

Sony didn't have to back this. Hell, if Sony basically ignored all the pleas from shenmue fans and gamers, no one would blame Sony for it. Sony instead can spend that money to make their own IP or resurrect their OWN DEAD IP. But instead they listened to their fans and making bet that they can make profit out of this.


2. Sony doesn't even OWN the IP after financial gamble such as this.

You guys know what this means. Basically if Shenmue3 becomes smashing hit and profitable to make a sequel, there will be dozens publishers (even Sega, LOL) who want to make side project or sequels. Sony can lose entire privilege for console exclusiveness, but they are still willing to take that risk.

If this is not showing good will to gamers, I don't know what it is.


3. Sony doesn't block PC, this is huge.

4. Them asking us at a previous E3 regards what games we like to see on a Sony platform wasnt lip-service. They heard us when for 14 years no one else did

I doubt Sony will directly make a profit from this endeavour but they definitely will reap the rewards from just paying attention to what their customers want even it is as far left-field as Shenmue...

Shenmue 3 shouldnt exist

ps3ud0 8)

 

[Corto]

Sega would be insane not to capitalize on the buzz of the game and not release ports of the 1 and 2.

It's easy money.

All part of the plan. The wheels are in motion and it's perfect. I just consider myself lucky that we live in a time where all the factors needed to make this work exist.

 

[Dennis]

Yesterday: Sony "hmmm, let us see how this thing goes...."

Today: Sony *looks at Kickstarter numbers* "It was us, Sony, all along!"

 

[TKM]

Try telling this to the guys who tried to Kickstart a successor to Eternal Darkness, a game many people love and said they wanted a sequel/spiritual successor too.

They failed to raise even $100,000. Twice.

Words are cheap and Sony/Ys Net know this. The kickstarter is now an actual data point that they can take to their bean counters and say "Hey look at these records we just fucking broke overnight. We're totally contributing to this to get a PS4 version!" instead of empty promises from message boards.

Exactly. As a former video game pub bean counter, I can't think of a better measure of viability for Shenmue than this KS. The mainline entry was last seen 14 years ago! Polls, petitions, tweets are worthless. Sales data for the series, not great. Sales comparables like Yakuza would argue against ever green-lighting Shenmue.

This is a risky endeavor even with $2 million pledges in such a short time. Without KS, the game is an impossible sell to management.

I've played Shenmue I & II, I did not enjoy them. I might not end up enjoying Shenmue III, but I backed it without reservations. It's an important game for videogame history, and Yu Suzuki's legacy.

Now if only I could hold a physical copy of that legacy in my hands on PS4. *grumble* *grumble* Get on this Suzuki-san!

 

[LlamaJohnson]

And I apologize if I unfairly grouped your post in with the mountains of salt coming from unreasonable people in here. It's like nobody understands return on investment or good business sense.

Bro hug.

Cheers!

 

[Walpurgis]

They got about 1 more hour to raise $200k to wind up with a cool $3 million in 24 hours.

What an absolutely insane start to this kickstarter. This has to have obliterated even their wildest expectations. I honestly don't think they saw this coming.

The moment they announced it, I pulled my phone out to check if Kickstarter was down and lo and behold it was. I am not at all surprised by this. Band wagoning is very strong on the internet. Just repeat Shenmue 3 on forums for 10 years and you end up with this. Now that Shenmue 3 is coming, we should start repeating .hack on forums.

 

[Krejlooc]

I can't wait to play Yu Suzuki's fishing simulator.

Or hunting.

 

[Qassim]

Basically this. They are allowing it on PC too. Props to Sony for doing this.

That's likely because they're not providing all the funding for it or possibly even a majority of the funding, if they were they'd likely be at the very least pushing for a PS4 timed exclusive release, there would be no reason for them not to.

 

[Laevateinn]

Yesterday: Sony "hmmm, let us see how this thing goes...."

Today: Sony *looks at Kickstarter numbers* "It was us, Sony, all along!"

Kono Sony Da!

 

[AstroNut325]

comparing apple and bananas here aren't we ? Shenmue vs CoD? A financial disaster to a goldmine

We really need to stop giving those people attention. They're intentionally being disingenuous. If this was for an IP of their liking for their preferred platform then those people would very likely have a different tune.

 

[xxracerxx]

My comment wasn't made to get a response like that. I'm glad that it's getting made, and will be buying a ps4 in order to play it. I do think it's unfortunate that it has to come down to that, and the people who played the first two on a non Sony consent (like me) have to buy a new system for it. But yeah, I'm just as excited as everyone. I just wish it would be a wider release. Sorry if that didn't come across in my first post.

So you played the first two on Dreamcast, I assume. A new system would have had to have been purchased regardless.

A wider release would have been nice but as someone said, it would have been more likely not to have gone to the PC at all, if MS had funded development over Sony.

 

[kuroshiki]

Irony is, Sega's shenmue was basically a killer app Sega was preparing to kill Sony's PS2.

Now after 14 years, it is rival Sony's money that is reviving, Shenmue 3.


I mean, wow. God damn. If someone told me 15 years ago that shenmue 3 will be back by Sony's finance, NO ONE WOULD BELIEVED IT.

Hell, I'm sure none of the Shenmue fans would have look up anyone but SONY for publishing Shenmue.

 

[Krejlooc]

The moment they announced it, I pulled my phone out to check if Kickstarter was down and lo and behold it was. I am not at all surprised by this. Band wagoning is very strong on the internet. Just repeat Shenmue 3 on forums for 10 years and you end up with this. Now that Shenmue 3 is coming, we should start repeating PANZER DRAGOON on forums.

.

 

[A.Romero]

I applaud everyone involved in the decision of making Shenmue and gauging interest through kickstarter.

 

[Killing_Joke]

So many salty people. How dare developers reach out for initial support! They should piss away all their money for me the gamerrrrrr!

Didn't pledge a dime but i'll be there day 1. All is good in the world.

 

[SamuelSupreme]

What are the chances we get Shenmue 1 and 2 on an HD remaster collection?.

 

[GobFather]

Honestly I'd drop this site if that happen lol. It's not though. The people complaining are a very very small minority.

yep, people that care, already made their opinions heard through kickstarter. The vocal minority can say what they want.

 

[Pathfinder]

A wider release would have been nice but as someone said, it would have been more likely not to have gone to the PC at all, if MS had funded development over Sony.

Oh, come on. No one can say for sure if that is even remotely true.

 

[H4r4kiri]

We really need to stop giving those people attention. They're intentionally being disingenuous. If this was for an IP of their liking for their preferred platform then those people would very likely have a different tune.

fun thing is, that I never played Shenmue, but get why people are exited and what this game is about and that this is not a main stream game.

 

[Dreamgazer]

My comment wasn't made to get a response like that. I'm glad that it's getting made, and will be buying a ps4 in order to play it. I do think it's unfortunate that it has to come down to that, and the people who played the first two on a non Sony consent (like me) have to buy a new system for it. But yeah, I'm just as excited as everyone. I just wish it would be a wider release. Sorry if that didn't come across in my first post.

None of the non-Sony consoles you used to play Shenmue are going to be able to play Shenmue III anyway.

So you would have to get a new system if you wanted to play this game anyway.

I don't see what is unfortunate about the situation unless you were dead set on expecting dreamcast support or purchased a X1 on anticipation of Shenmue III landing on the system.

And if it's the "Sony" thing that bothers you, get a PC.

 

[Brakke]

.

maybe next week

 

[kuroshiki]

Oh, come on. No one can say for sure if that is even remotely true.

I'm looking at Tomb raider rise. Yeah. If this was backed by MS money no PC version for time being.

 

[Moofers]

Just upped my pledge to $100. Lets get to that 3M mark before the 24 hours is up!

 

[Jomjom]

If there are any people in here who are angry because it's not coming out on Nintendo or MS's console (maybe there's none of you guys in this thread), why aren't you guys mad at Nintendo or MS? It's not like they didn't have over a decade to fund this game if they had wanted to...

 

[Krejlooc]

yep, people that care, already made their opinions heard through kickstarter. The vocal minority can say what they want.

It's only appropriate considering those who made their voice heard through kickstarter have heard for over a decade how they were a vocal minority.

 

[xxracerxx]

Oh, come on. No one can say for sure if that is even remotely true.

Well their track record would at least point to a console exclusive period, for a time at least.

 

[Kazaam]

Well Sony tricked you into giving them a 2 year interest free and non refundable loan.

I know everyone is excited to get the game they want but it is sleazy by Sony.

Why do people keep stating that Sony is getting the kickstarter money? Sony is supporting the project...it's not theirs. Would you rather prefer Sony would not support this project and the project would only have the Kickstarter money? I really don't understand the problem... isn't Sony putting their own forces and money to help make the game a good thing?

 

[Y2Kev]

Well, assuming this winds up being a AAA retail release (which I assume it is), the basic $29 commitment will probably still result in a discount even if you factor in interest.

Please listen to this music while reading this post.

The FV of $29 in 3 years at a healthy 8% annual return is $36.53.

If you want this game and don't buy it now, you're not going to get cheaper than $36.53.

Please, Ryo. I'm moving to Canada. Kickstart Shenmue 3.

 

[Pathfinder]

Well their track record would at least point to a console exclusive period for a time.

Okay, I'll give you that.

 

[Rentahamster]

So now that they've gauged the interest Sony knows it will be successful and cancel the kickstarter right? I mean they don't need the money

And give up on their guaranteed sales? No way. That would also be a massive PR buzzkill.

 

[LaMeRz]

yep, people that care, already made their opinions heard through kickstarter. The vocal minority can say what they want.

I would argue Shenmue fans are also a minority. Hence Sony having to run the ol' Kickstarter Marketing Research machine

 

[AstroNut325]

fun thing is, that I never played Shenmue, but get why people are exiting and what this game is about and this is not a main stream game.

I played Shenmue on Dreamcast (still have it somewhere in my closet) and I absolutely hated it! And I still firmly believe what Sony did was absolutely the correct thing to do.

 

[Silent Chief]

Kickstarters *really* need to make it clear when their aim is only to gain major publisher support.

Why? It makes no difference. They reach their goal, they deliver the good.

 

[Walpurgis]

.

You had your chance.

 

[SirKhalid]

How come in the FAQ section they have this answer?

Will there be an Xbox/Wii U/Linux/Mac version for Shenmue 3?

Currently we are planning development only for PC (Windows) and PS4. Other platforms have not been decided yet.

 

[Salsa]

Honestly, my primary dream would just be that gamers on any platform could play any game and we wouldn't have the stupid console wars at all. But since that's impossible, I think it just makes much more sense to embrace that games -- particularly the AAA games we love so much -- are expensive risks. Partnerships with platform holders are going to happen. Crowdfunding is becoming par for the course. I personally grow super tired of defending this game's "co-development and co-funding" deal while decrying that game's "moneyhat" or arbitrarily deciding which games deserve crowdfunding dollars and which don't. It's a conversation that so often to me leads absolutely nowhere and more often than not reveals one's own hardware preferences than it offers any moral insight into how game funding should work.

it just leads nowhere cause there's nowhere to go. if anything it's something that might have significance in the future, but other than that right now it's either people being ok with it and people not

what bothers me about the conversation is people just trying to constantly change others' opinions in a "how can anyone complain about anything????" like BAFFLED kinda way, that's the way this goes in circles basically

some people see this as scummy and are a bit worried or unpleasant about how this was presented / went down. no need to mock when both arguments kinda have a point. it's basically just discussing speculation or a difference of opinion. amp that cause E3 and yeah we're gonna go nowhere

 

[DavidDesu]

Yesterday there was no Shenmue 3. Today, thanks to loyal fans of the series we have Shenmue 3 going into full production. Literally a game most people thought was never going to be made. Most of those fans will be getting the game as part of the kickstarter, others getting cool Shenmue stuff on top of it. IT's not like people never intending to buy this game have been forced to back it.

Fans get the game they've always wanted where otherwise it was very uncertain, and most likely never going to be made. The kickstarter shows Sony there is enough demand to warrant their money going towards funding the game. It would have been a blind punt otherwise which most of us know. How many laughed that a Shenmue 3 kickstarter would be lucky to reach 50k were it to ever happen, etc.?

I AM SO HAPPY THIS HAS HAPPENED! Anyone wanting to pick it apart to find fault with Sony can take a running jump as far as I'm concerned. (Also, Microsoft could have pumped millions into making Shenmue happen and frankly I would have bought an XB1 for it, so that's their loss too and their mistake).

 

[Krejlooc]

I love how effortlessly Shenmue spins off 40+ page threads now.

It's been so long since it's been on everybody's lips. This takes me back to the days when Shenmue was a major upcoming franchise.

 

[Rapscallion]

Just upped my pledge to $100. Lets get to that 3M mark before the 24 hours is up!

Can you do that? I've never used kickstarter before. I've already pledged 30, but let's say later on I want to up it to 100 or something. Can I just pay the extra 70 and still fall into the 100 mark?

 

[Htown]

How come in the FAQ section they have this answer?

Will there be an Xbox/Wii U/Linux/Mac version for Shenmue 3?

Currently we are planning development only for PC (Windows) and PS4. Other platforms have not been decided yet.

Might still come to SteamOS.

 

[Laevateinn]

My comment wasn't made to get a response like that. I'm glad that it's getting made, and will be buying a ps4 in order to play it. I do think it's unfortunate that it has to come down to that, and the people who played the first two on a non Sony consent (like me) have to buy a new system for it. But yeah, I'm just as excited as everyone. I just wish it would be a wider release. Sorry if that didn't come across in my first post.

It's coming out on PC as well. This is already available for most people as it is and if your PC isn't good enough for UE4 right now you will probably have one that is 2 years from now.

 

[Dreamgazer]

So now that they've gauged the interest Sony knows it will be successful and cancel the kickstarter right? I mean they don't need the money

Burger King should refund me for using me to test their hot dog sales.