Shenmue Series

For those worrying about the funding being much lower than then original, you also have to consider that this game won't be doing anything technically innovative, where the original was. Also they are using Unreal 4 which has no upfront cost and will likely not need to spend much on marketing,
 
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I just wonder what kind of art style they'll be using. I read that Quantic Dreams is helping. I'm not sure if that's true or not. But I hope it is. Seems like a perfect marriage.
 
Going to be PISSED the $#%& OFF if this never comes to X1 I can wait years. Never though them $)(*#$% better think twice. I'll write mothernkhger letter to my congressman and my mother$(&\sj senator. A$$h()\ë§ #&$% dj$(%)&?:(%)#?;( fjfidnxhsjs djfucjfbgo fufjfnfnd sidntmfisnfj difj fifosk$(&8
SHEMMUE YOUR A TRIATER
 
lol ^

I read that Geo Corsi, Director of Third Party Production & Developer Relations for Sony Playstation, confirmed that Sony is helping to fund and develop Shenmue 3. Which makes sense, since $2 million wouldn't be nearly enough.

I think it's safe to assume this is console exclusive to the PS, or at least a timed exclusive.

p.s.

psknzlE.png
 
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Its good to know that Sony is funding the game, props to Sony. I hope it will have a AAA budget and not reduced to an indie title.
 
This isn't exclusive by the way. Other consoles simply haven't been decided/confirmed right now due to the deal with Sony.
 
lol ^

I read that Geo Corsi, Director of Third Party Production & Developer Relations for Sony Playstation, confirmed that Sony is helping to fund and develop Shenmue 3. Which makes sense, since $2 million wouldn't be nearly enough.

I think it's safe to assume this is console exclusive to the PS, or at least a timed exclusive.

p.s.

psknzlE.png
Not sure how to feel about this. Part of me is happy about a game like this finally getting a sequel, but on the other hand, this comes across as a reverse focus group. Usually people are PAID or at least not charged to give their opinion. It feels like the start of something that can be easily abused and hurt Kickstarter's rep even more. More importantly, there's something grossly unfair about a kickstarter being given such a spotlight. So many have to start their own grassroots campaign just to get attention, this probably could have hit $2 million without taking a spot at E3. We'll see how it turns out, but I got mixed feelings on the whole issue.
 
This isn't exclusive by the way. Other consoles simply haven't been decided/confirmed right now due to the deal with Sony.

I think we have to assume at least timed console exclusivity, since Sony is funding development.
 
I'm so glad sony is funding this now because 2-4m wouldn't do the game justice. At that budget it would have a been a shadow of the game it deserves. Now there's hope it'll be a real big budget game. I didn't even play the first 2 shenmue since I never had a dreamcast, but I'm hyped for this game! Hopefully, they release the other 2 or give good story recaps of the games so people starting the third game in the trilogy won't be lost on what's going on. From what I've heard about shenmue, I think if not for being on the dreamcast and was instead on playstation back then it would have been a huge success and a top franchise. It's tough to sell a game, when no one owns the console it's on.
 
The 2M was just to get it started with more funding for subtitles and so on.

Sounds like The 2M would have got a very cut down Shenmue experience.
 
Fun to watch the GT guys reaction to the announcement:



Skip back to 1:55 to see their reaction to the FFVII reveal.

I like this. It's like they're kids at Christmas. It's nice to see such unabashed enthusiasm and excitement for games. Forum goers and journalists can get so jaded and negative, but this is the exact opposite. Good to see.
 
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Is Shenmue the originator of the QTE? I remember running and running and having to time a single button press to jump or push down fruit to trip people.
 
Fun to watch the GT guys reaction to the announcement:



Skip back to 1:55 to see their reaction to the FFVII reveal.

I like this. It's like they're kids at Christmas. It's nice to see such unabashed enthusiasm and excitement for games. Forum goers and journalists can get so jaded and negative, but this is the exact opposite. Good to see.

Watching this again.. Sony really did have one hell of a conference. I may have scored them wrong giving them a B+.
 
From GAF

- He noticed that fans were getting more and more despondent about the chances of a Shenmue 3 ever coming out, and being willing to settle for just about any format (novel, manga etc.) just to see the conclusion of the story, but he really wanted to make the sequel as a game even if it didn't have all the bells and whistles he'd like to put in it.
- He first learned about Kickstarter about 3 years ago through a fan who'd used it before, although it took a while before he decided that was really the way to go forward. Tried looking for a major company to partner with, but couldn't find one that met his criteria. Eventually, he decided Kickstarter was the best option.
- Sega readily allowed him to make the game, and SCE gave their support too (nothing specific here).
- It'll be out on PS4 and PC. No mention of other platforms, no mention of considering any other platforms.
- 2 million is the bare minimum for the game to exist, and if that was all they got, it would just be focused on the story. The more money it gets, the more of the things he wants to do will be possible.
- He wants to give the fans what they want as much as possible, asking for their opinions during development and incorporating those into the final game. Like if they have two ideas for a character, they might ask backers to vote on which they prefer.
- As far as money goes, he expects the game's investment will primarily come from individual backers, so he wants them all to be happy with the finished product. Doesn't sound like Sony and others are giving them all THAT much.
- The story will take place in Guilin, beginning immediately after 2's end. You'll be able to go around the town(s) in that area, back to the mountains, infiltrate the Chi You Men's Guilin branch, etc.
- Back when he made Shenmue 2, he was determined that Shenmue 3's focus would be making a deeper open world rather than a bigger one. Fewer characters means they can have more to say, they can have more complex AI, etc. The character Ryo will talk to the most in 3 is Shenhua, so he wants to develop her as much as possible, making it so that talking to her lots makes her behaviour towards him change, makes quests involving her proceed differently, etc.
- Not that any of this is to say it won't be an open world game. Stretch goals will determine how much the town(s) can be expanded (presumably this is referring to stretch goals like those we can already see, the 'other towns' in that video aren't addressed here.)
- QTEs were originally designed so that people who weren't very good at battles could still enjoy the game.
- He wants to make 'free battles' (which are likely to have their name changed) less about pressing buttons at the right time and more about making the right decisions.
- He also wants to make them less about practising and inputting commands and more centred around the Technique Scrolls, so obtaining and using those is enough to win battles. These Technique Scrolls will ideally connect a number of different elements in the game together in a natural way.
"Shenmue had a number of minigames, gambling spots etc. that you could spend time playing around in, but I wanted something that would connect all of them somehow. I mean, obviously you can obtain money through part-time jobs, use that in gambling to get more of it and then buy weapons...but not that kind of connection, a closer one. If we can meet a number of our stretch goals and make the open world elements more elaborate, I'm hoping to be able to connect these side elements together, centred around the scrolls.
- He's desperately trying to find some way to include forklifts in the game in a way that will make sense, because Shenmue fans seem to love them.
- He wanted to gather as many of the people who worked on the earlier games as possible because it'd be reassuring to fans. They're planning to publish staff comments from a number of figures working on the game, including the writer Masahiro Yoshimoto.
- He's asked about whether he has an idea in his head about what'll come after Shenmue 3's done (presumably 4, but it doesn't come out and say this). He says he does, but right now he's focused on working on Shenmue 3. Certainly doesn't sound like this game will be 'it' at any rate.
- As the Kickstarter page says, he's hoping the game will be ready to release at the end of 2017.



Q.

Love your work! You are a pioneer in this industry! As for my question:
How much game elements/features will we be missing in the game if the campaign doesn't reach the $5 million mark?

A.

I will say this: if we reach the $5 mil mark, one of the things I really want to do with Shenmue 3 will become a reality.
At $10 million, it will truly have the features of an open world
 
Damn. I wonder if it's because of sony's involvement but the kickstarter has slowed to a snail's pace since the first 2 days. I thought 10m might be within reach, but now I worry about it even beating bloodstained's 5.5m.
 
Damn. I wonder if it's because of sony's involvement but the kickstarter has slowed to a snail's pace since the first 2 days. I thought 10m might be within reach, but now I worry about it even beating bloodstained's 5.5m.

Yeah, I'd assume that once people figured out Sony was funding (though we still don't know how much), they figured contributions wouldn't have much of a point.
 
Yu did a reddit and it sounds like Sony aren't giving that much. He thinks he needs 10M to make it how he wants.
 
I'm going to back it soon but if this doesn't come out, I fully expect the noose to come out to hang Sony.

If they get to $5mil Sony needs to match it and then they have the $10mil.
 
I read somewhere that the lion's share of development money is actual coming directly from this kickstarter. So whatever the cash sources are, they don't seem to be kicking in much to help.
 
Hmmm, if we are to believe the statements from people here, it appears sony isn't helping as much as initially thought and are mainly helping to fund the ps4 port and marketing. That is kind of concerning now because this kickstarter has grinded to a halt. It's made what 20-30k today only I think. I'm not really sure what to believe or if people are telling the truth, but it's very clear now that the word of sony's involvement has had a direct negative impact on the kickstarter and funds are trickling in very slowly since that first day.

If that isn't the reason why the kickstarter has slowed down so much then the alternative is even worse. It means that the shenmue fans were just a loud vocal minority that already all backed it during the first day. Which means that when the game actually releases it'll be a commercial flop with no one buying it cause all the fans already backed it and got their copy.

If sony doesn't put in significant development funds then the scope of this game will be very limited. However, I wonder if people will still love it if it ends up being a smaller game because I know a lot of fans just want to know how the story concludes.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/new...ved-in-Marketing-and-Production-for-Shenmue-3

Engadget spoke with Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida, who explained a bit further Sony's involvement. "It's a very exciting project and there are lots of PlayStation fans asking for it. But it's a Sega IP and of course Suzuki Yu-san is the creator. So somehow Suzuki-san was able to work out with Sega to allow them to Kickstart the project. And because we liked the project, our third-party relations team struck a deal to help Kickstart the campaign at the E3 conference. That's great PR."

Adam Boyes later stated "we're backing it as well... we're putting scratch in" but that the title will be self-published with Sony helping with the marketing. Had Sony made the decision to fully fund Shenmue 3, Boyes estimates that two years would have been dedicated solely to showing there is a demand for the game, then the process to secure funding would begin, then development would start. Also, in the case of full funding, Shenmue 3 would have been a first party title for Sony, which likely would have waded into murky water as far as licensing from Sega was concerned, as well as with Yu Suzuki's role in the development process.

Yu Suzuki hosted an AMA on Reddit Friday, and while he did not address any of the questions regarding his partnership with Sony (many questions went unanswered due to the popularity of the thread, not just ones regarding Sony), he did say "I will say this: if we reach the $5 mil mark, one of the things I really want to do with Shenmue 3 will become a reality. At $10 million, it will truly have the features of an open world."

Shibuya Productions President & CEO Cedric Biscay, Co-Producer for Shenmue 3, addressed Sony's involvement briefly in several tweets, including one that stated "Sony is providing various supports, including marketing and investment, to YSNet. However, SONY is just one of many backers of [HASHTAG]#Shenmue3[/HASHTAG]." Further clarifying, Biscay wrote "SONY will not get any money from the KS, they will help to finance the PS4 version and will also help for advertisement."

In 2011, Suzuki told Destructoid that Shenmue, released in 1999, cost $47 million to make.

At the time of this posting, Shenmue 3 is the seventh most funded game Kickstarter of all time with nearly $3.5 million pledged and 26 days remaining.
 
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Ha! I'm the same. The PS4 / PC only is a slap in the face to Sega fans. The original games were on Dreamcast and Xbox. A lot of Sega players went Xbox (especially when they released the JSRF +Sega GT Xbox bundle). The truth of the matter is that Microsoft should've backed the project ages ago. Now we have Yu Suzuki (the man, the legend) on a Sony stage (the irony) asking for support of his own kickstarter for 2 million. With part of the Sony crowd at E3 scratching their head "who the f*** is this guy, again?"

I am glad that it's coming though. Who knows..maybe someday I can finish my quest on Xbox. Stranger things have happened..

There must be a reason why nobody will back it and they need a kickstarter fund.