My thoughts too. They carried on the niche role of open-world urban Japan/China.
Shenmue was great for its time, but trying to convince the masses that yet another open-world city adventure is the one to look out for over GTA/SR/Just Cause/WatchDogs is a tall order. Only a minority other than the original Shenmue fans will care that Shenmue 3 is finally on its way, also.