Shenmue 3 Kickstarter

[ExedExes]

Well, it's a relief they secured the English voice actor for Ryo. Can never be too sure.

I see.

[Reprise]

BIG UPDATE GUYS!!!! PS4 Physical copy confirmed!



Greetings Shenmuers!

So, who wants to be in Shenmue 3? Here is your chance to get in the game and be a Shenmue superstar!

Also! More dinner parties with Yu Suzuki have been added. One will be in Monaco, and one will be in Los Angeles. Dine with the legend.

I AM SHENMUE 3 - $1,500 Be immortalized in world of Shenmue with your picture in the harbor waiting area for the Choubu passenger boat. Plus, your name will appear on the guest register at a Choubu inn. Show the world how Shenmue you are. Includes the $500 reward. Limit 64.

BE A LUCKY HIT GAME BOARD - $4,000 Do you want to be a game of lucky hit? Get your face and name on an in-game Lucky Hit board. Includes the RYO VOICE MESSAGE BY COREY MARSHALL Reward. Limit 15.

BE A SHENMUE 3 NPC - $10,000 Your face will be featured on a Chi You Men member to do battle with Ryo! To maintain character setting, body style will be up to Mr. Suzuki. You will also be named as a Special Sponsor in the credits. Includes the RYO VOICE MESSAGE BY COREY MARSHALL Reward. Limit 5.

DINNER WITH YU SUZUKI IN MONACO + RYO'S JACKET – REPLICA - $10,000 Bring a friend to join a dinner party in Monaco with Yu-san and the other backers of this tier. (Date will be tentatively set for the end of February, 2016). You will also be named as a Special Sponsor in the credits. Includes the RYO'S JACKET - REPLICA Reward. Limit 3.

DINNER WITH YU SUZUKI IN LOS ANGELES + RYO'S JACKET – REPLICA - $10,000 Bring a friend to join a dinner party in Los Angeles with Yu-san and the other backers of this tier. (Date will be tentatively set for June, 2016). You will also be named as a Special Sponsor in the credits. Includes the RYO'S JACKET - REPLICA Reward. Limit 3.

The Shenmue 3 on the 3rd festivities have just begun! Get on your Twitter account and Tweet #SaveShenmue to show the world Shenmue is where it’s at!

Hello backers, Shenmue fans & PS4 gamers!

The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter proudly announces the addition of the PlayStation 4 Physical Copy Reward.


This is one of the most requested items on the list, and we are very happy to be able to include the Shenmue 3 PS4 Kickstarter Backer’s Edition as a Reward. If you are a Shenmue fan and PS4 gamer, this is the reward to have to commemorate the occasion!

PS4 Physical Copy Reward Details:

All backers pledging for a $60 Reward tier or higher, will have the option of a PS4 Physical Copy as their platform choice.

After the Kickstarter finishes, a survey will be sent out to backers in these tiers to confirm your choice of platform. Choose one of the following:

1. PS4 Physical Copy

2. PS4 Digital Copy

3. Windows PC Physical Copy

4. Windows PC Digital Copy.

Backers who have pledged for a PC Physical Copy will not need to adjust their rewards if they would prefer a PS4 Physical Copy instead.

Just a reminder, the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter will be offering only one copy of the game per backer (Trial Version excluded).

Thanks to all the backers for your comments and suggestions to help make this happen. Please keep your feedback coming by sending us a message through the “Contact me” button on the project page.

*************************************************************

Apology from Awesome Japan

We offer our sincerest apologies for last week’s Twitch broadcast and any trouble it may have caused. This apology comes late, and we accept full responsibility. We promise we will do everything we can to help bring Shenmue back. We ask for your forgiveness and the opportunity to make amends. – from all of us at Awesome Japan

[Michi]

BIG UPDATE GUYS!!!! PS4 Physical copy confirmed!

Oh lo, they made that announcement and behold, the kickstarter did raise another 400k in about 24 hours.



I think it's a safe bet to assume that the campaign will make it to 5 million, but at this rate I'm afraid our poor, Portuguese brethren may end up being subtitle-less. I hope Yu Suzuki wasn't really counting on the campaign to hit 11 million, cause I'm pretty sure that prospect is SOL.

But hay, on the bright side, making it as far as they have is an achievement in and of itself.

[pierrot]

Twitter Event Transcript

Q: Can you please explain why there are two different statements about how many chapters (11 / 16) Shenmue has?

YS: It is 11 chapters, but with branched story line, it will be more than 11.

Mind--fucking--blown!

Q: I have a #YouaskYu question. Suzuki-sama, at $5 million, exactly HOW open world will Shenmue 3 be, compared to Shenmue 1/2? Arigatou!

YS: I'm expecting something similar to Dobuita in terms of scale.

Oh, da's bad.

Q: Where did Ryo got his band aid?

YS: It didn't appear in Chp.1, but there was a martial arts event. The scar is from the final match.

Mystery solved.

Q: Shenmue's core plot is basically Hamlet - are you a Shakespeare fan & has that been an influence?

YS: Sorry, but I have not read Hamlet. I know Hamtaro.

Lol, I love this answer.

[Snatch1414]

Q: I have a #YouaskYu question. Suzuki-sama, at $5 million, exactly HOW open world will Shenmue 3 be, compared to Shenmue 1/2? Arigatou!

YS: I'm expecting something similar to Dobuita in terms of scale.

Oh, da's bad.

Um, wow. I don't really know what to say here. That sounds more like a Shenmue iPhone game than a full-fledged sequel. I'm actually wondering if he was talking about something else or flat out misunderstood the question.

Oh and eff the guy talking about Hamlet.

[Reprise]

Q: I have a #YouaskYu question. Suzuki-sama, at $5 million, exactly HOW open world will Shenmue 3 be, compared to Shenmue 1/2? Arigatou!

YS: I'm expecting something similar to Dobuita in terms of scale.

Oh, da's bad.

Um, wow. I don't really know what to say here. That sounds more like a Shenmue iPhone game than a full-fledged sequel. I'm actually wondering if he was talking about something else or flat out misunderstood the question.

Shenmue 3 is made up of multiple villages and chapters. I imagine, he meant that each area you explore would be similar in scale to Dobuita. Not that the whole game would be that big.

At least, that's my interpretation and what I'm hoping. I really believe Yu Suzuki when he says whatever the budget, that Shenmue 3 will be a game he is proud of, one fans will like and that it will be worthy of the title.

[pierrot]

It occurred to me that that may have been in regard to Baisha only. Unfortunately, I found that in the latest KS update they included the Q&A in Japanese, and it sounds maybe even a little worse:

A; シェンムー１のドブ板くらいのものが作れると良いなと思います。

'I'm hoping we can make something roughly the size of Dobuita in Shenmue 1.'


EDIT: Maybe it's not that surprising considering how early on in development this game seems to be, but other than the story, the plans for everything seem very fluid. Suzuki is throwing out a lot of comparisons to Dobuita, too. In the Twitch event he was talking about how Choubu, at the $10M goal, would be a lot like Dobuita in terms of player options and interactivity. I don't really know what to make of how development will go, but I'm excited about what Shenmue III will bring as an experience, regardless of scale or completeness. I do have a feeling that it will be a rather incomplete game if Ys Net can't secure the requisite funding, though.

[Blu]

I think we'll be alright. They'll get a paypal and we'll be able to chip in some cash as a community to help fund over the span of development. I'm hoping some big company can hop in and throw some quiche their way too. I'm glad we got another 400+k in the past day or two.

The watch is back up if someone wants to kick it in.

[Snatch1414]

So it seems like it's shaping up that $5 mil is around the upper limit of what a game can garner through Kickstarter regardless of the game's scale. Shenmue definitely requires more in terms of scope but it appears this is as much money as people are generally willing to devote to one project.

[Reprise]

I completely 'geeked out' at the sound of the new Phone Card reward!