Shenmue 3 PS4 & PC SERIOUSLY HAPPENING

[nakamura]

As are some of the best games I've ever played.

No relevance whatsoever.

[Nu-Eclipse]

How many times is this going to be trotted out? The years of **** hardware add ons, bad business decisions and the public waiting for the PS2 killed Sega, Shenmue had little to do with it.

Really? Little to do with it given the context of the Dreamcast dying and the fact that the Shenmue games were (and I think still are?) amongst some of the most expensively-produced games ever?

Yeah, okay then.

It played its part. The final kiss of death.

[Nu-Eclipse]

The Kickstarter was to test the waters. 2 million dollars funded within 24 hours.

It'll be more than a 500k investment from Sony for sure.

Frankly hilarious to think otherwise to be honest, when you consider what Shenmue 1 and 2 did cost. What're you smoking Nu-Eclipse?

And are people really classing Shenmue as indie? WHAT?!

You really think that, mate?

So I've got this straight: NOBODY touches Shenmue 3 for years and years, only for Sony to suddenly put up big money for a franchise that has thus far been a proven commercial superflop?

[Dogg Thang]

Really? Little to do with it given the context of the Dreamcast dying and the fact that Shenmue was (and I think still is) one of the most expensively-produced games ever?

Yeah, okay then.

It played its part. The final kiss of death.

I guess the question that comes out of this is: would Sega be dead if Shenmue hadn't happened? I'm guessing the answer is yes. If anything, that Shenmue had such a buzz about it at release makes me think it probably shifted the odd Dreamcast or two. So Sega spent a stupid amount of money but if they hadn't the Dreamcast still wouldn't have sold any more, would likely have sold less and I don't think history would be all that different.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I guess the question that comes out of this is: would Sega be dead if Shenmue hadn't happened? I'm guessing the answer is yes.

I don't doubt that.I don't even disagree with Wools mentioning everything else that obviously contributed to their demise.

But to say that the money pumped into Shenmue and Shenmue 2 didn't help hasten the inevitable is simply wrong. Sega were posting straight up financial losses hand-over-fist by that time, for feck's sake!

[Brad]

Here's my historical timeline as to why Shenmue 3 is happening now:

Suzuki is allowed get away with pissing money up the wall with 1 & 2, combined with a lack of standard tools for doing this kind of thing meaning that everything had to be done from scratch and low sales of the game due to it being on a single platform that was already dying and didn't have the necessary active userbase.

Sega then die from the home console market.

Much time passes, with gamers constantly asking for shenmue 3... nobody listens.

More time passes.

Chris Roberts says he wants to make another space Sim, is sure people are interested. Big publishers say no way, people want COD and GTA and football games.
Chris Roberts starts crowdfunding and immediately gets millions pledged.
Braben thinks I'll have a piece of this, kickstarts Elite, gets it funded, makes it, launches it and makes it and it's successful.
Other kickstarters for all sorts of things get funded and are successful.

Sony and Suzuki are both paying attention to all this and so Shenmue 3 happens.

[Neon Ignition]

All sorts of info gathering on GAf going on which seems to suggest that Sony is aiding Yu with development of the game in a limited sense and is helping to fund and port the PS4 version. However, they don't seem to be funding the game development itself though there are a few undisclosed backers. Yu seems keen to stress that the KS campaign is key to the game and its ultimate end result.

At current time the KS still stands around $3.5m looking to have pretty much come to a halt

[fishbowlhead]

I guess the question that comes out of this is: would Sega be dead if Shenmue hadn't happened? I'm guessing the answer is yes. If anything, that Shenmue had such a buzz about it at release makes me think it probably shifted the odd Dreamcast or two. So Sega spent a stupid amount of money but if they hadn't the Dreamcast still wouldn't have sold any more, would likely have sold less and I don't think history would be all that different.

If they had put that what? 100million dev costs for the shenmue's? in to advertising, cutting console production costs and porting stuff like Fifa, pes and anything else popular they could of got their hands on, it may have been enough to get them out of trouble, maybe.

Wouldn't of saved it completely, but would of give the console more of a fighting chance against the ps2, certainly for some decent advertising campaigns.

[nakamura]

Shenmue sold to 1/10 DC owners. It was a terrible project. The money would have been better spent getting a jazzy, online Fifa and Madden game.

[eastyy]

Well from what i have heard budget was 47 million $ but that was for shenmue 1 and 2 plus the unreleased saturn version aswell.

But as i said before i think they will continue crowd funding after the kickstarter. I still reckon they should have kept the look the same as the dreamcast version would have kept costs down and really feel more like a continuation

[randombs]

But if they make it look like the DC version it will probably turn away potential fans. They're not profiting from the Kickstarter, after all.

[eastyy]

thing is not sure how having a third game in a heavily story based series will win new fans unless they plan to rerelease shenmue 1 and 2

[randombs]

Good point. I was thinking about Mass Effect 2 on PS3(I think it was that one) where ME1 wasn't released and they just had a digest video. And Shenmue 2 on Xbox.

[Yakumo]

Shenmue sold to 1/10 DC owners. It was a terrible project. The money would have been better spent getting a jazzy, online Fifa and Madden game.

I wouldn't have bought the **** for a start. Shenmue was a flop in the west most of all.

[Supergoal]

As much as we want it, I can see this whole kickstarted shenmue 3 taking a massive dive somewhere along the line.

3.5 million dollars is nowhere near enough to fund the kind of game shenmue wants to be. Unless they make a smart phone touch screen version. In fact I think they should do just that, then if it sells well then consider a port to consoles.