Will Shenmue end in Shenmue V?

In the current situation, how will be better to finish the Shenmue story?

  • In Shenmue IV

    Votes: 12 25.0%
  • in Shenmue V

    Votes: 28 58.3%
  • Shenmue VII or beyond

    Votes: 3 6.3%
  • Shenmue games episodes/chapters style like "Life is Strange" or "Resident Evil Revelations 2"

    Votes: 2 4.2%
  • Shenmue Anime

    Votes: 3 6.3%
  • Shenmue Manga, visual novel or other media.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    48
The issue I have with the concept of resolution is how little Shenmue 3 actually progressed the story. I’m expecting in Shenmue 4 or 5 for Ryo to stumble into one cutscene that serves as a plot dump because going by the postmortem art there’s a LOT left to happen. Shenmue 3 felt like meandering through filler with no point. I wanted plot and answers to questions we’ve pondered for nearly 20 years.

Shenmue 4 and 5 would have to be a HUGE departure from the pace of Shenmue 3 to advance the plot.
I think plot dumps are fine based on where they are in the story. Ryo goes to the cliff temple, and should learn a lot there about what Lan Di wants and what the treasure truly represents. About half way, or between the two or three main town areas, I think Shenhua may return to Bailu Village after learning a clue, she discovers what the elders may have been hiding about her lineage, her parents and the Mirrors and I think these could be emotional and dramactic scenes, not just plot dumps. Presumably the CYM civil war is unfolding, so a drastic change with the pacing may feel really organic in the story. I believe they could do a good conclusion in IV.
 
I'll also jump into the team that thinks Shenmue IV will happen, and will be the last one.

At the circumstances of Shenmue III conception, with all the power of the comeback and the record-setting kickstarter, it was sensible to think the series had a chance for revival, and thus the hope of unfolding the story slowly. But at this time of conception for Shenmue IV, almost all of that has disappeared. And it will probably come at a later date than if III had been a big success. And Yu Suzuki has a somewhat advanced age.

In addition, I think its completely viable to wrap up most of the story in only one game. Remember that the original Saturn concept was of a much straightforward non-open game. Or the minimum $2 million Kickstarter possibility. Remember that Yu Suzuki hasn't been afraid of making drastic cuts and reworks of the original 11-chapter plot. And remember that Yu Suzuki's mindset this time around is not being faithful to the core Shenmue formula "for the fans", but rather mixing up the concepts to attract newcomers. All that could perfectly lead into an story-heavy, much less open game.

I can envision a Shenmue IV with only three locations:
  • The cliff temple/Baisha, because it's where it has to pick up after 3, and where most of the Chiyoumen plot could be resolved: the 4 leaders, Ziming, the civil war, etc. They possibly have some assets ready from Shenmue III development.
  • Luoyang: where Shenhua's lineage and role would be resolved. Maybe the treasure could be placed here too.
  • Meng Cun: where the mystery of Iwao and Zhao's murder would be resolved, and Ryo could find closure (and possibly Lan Di too).
They could reuse Bailu's assets from Shenmue III for an epilogue of sorts, if they want, too.
The rest of the chapters main elements could probably be scrapped, or reworked between the rest.
 
I'll also jump into the team that thinks Shenmue IV will happen, and will be the last one.

At the circumstances of Shenmue III conception, with all the power of the comeback and the record-setting kickstarter, it was sensible to think the series had a chance for revival, and thus the hope of unfolding the story slowly. But at this time of conception for Shenmue IV, almost all of that has disappeared. And it will probably come at a later date than if III had been a big success. And Yu Suzuki has a somewhat advanced age.

In addition, I think its completely viable to wrap up most of the story in only one game. Remember that the original Saturn concept was of a much straightforward non-open game. Or the minimum $2 million Kickstarter possibility. Remember that Yu Suzuki hasn't been afraid of making drastic cuts and reworks of the original 11-chapter plot. And remember that Yu Suzuki's mindset this time around is not being faithful to the core Shenmue formula "for the fans", but rather mixing up the concepts to attract newcomers. All that could perfectly lead into an story-heavy, much less open game.

I can envision a Shenmue IV with only three locations:
  • The cliff temple/Baisha, because it's where it has to pick up after 3, and where most of the Chiyoumen plot could be resolved: the 4 leaders, Ziming, the civil war, etc. They possibly have some assets ready from Shenmue III development.
  • Luoyang: where Shenhua's lineage and role would be resolved. Maybe the treasure could be placed here too.
  • Meng Cun: where the mystery of Iwao and Zhao's murder would be resolved, and Ryo could find closure (and possibly Lan Di too).
They could reuse Bailu's assets from Shenmue III for an epilogue of sorts, if they want, too.
The rest of the chapters main elements could probably be scrapped, or reworked between the rest.
Agree completely, maybe Niao Sun tries to create a trap, and lures Xiuying into the story, as leverage against Ziming, in a misguided attempt to ensure the loyalty of his subfaction. I'm sure there are plausible ways to bring back some of the classic characters for a potential finale in IV. Yu Suzuki doesn't owe us a finale, but also think people sound like they're making excuses if they don't think IV could be a good finale, or express a lack of imagination.

The battle with Lan Di I think would be the hardest to dipict, he outmatches Ryo but I never felt the series was truly about the power fantasy of just beating Lan Di. He will learn the true reason why Iwao killed Sunming and begin to question himself. I imagine there is an intense battle across the town area, Lan Di confronts Ryo, his hair is unruly like the orignal concept art and he unleashes his unbridled rage. Ryo will need to delay his opponent, who appears unbalanced, whilst Shenhua holds the Mirrors and achieves her destiny. Ryo will find his 'center of balance', as Iwao says, use the most powerful unlearnt moves such as Iwao's poetry scroll and Demon's Triangle, break through his defenses, and catch Lan Di off guard.
 
Didn't Cedric say they "need a so much higher budget than the one spent on the 3"? Since S3 reached a budget of around $20 million, I guess they would need at least $30 million to make 4?
 
Didn't Cedric say they "need a so much higher budget than the one spent on the 3"? Since S3 reached a budget of around $20 million, I guess they would need at least $30 million to make 4?
He said they wanted a higher budget. Being honest I can't see them getting a higher budget but I could easily be wrong.
 
He said they wanted a higher budget. Being honest I can't see them getting a higher budget but I could easily be wrong.
The only way they could get a higher budget is if they struck a deal with Epic; they are probably the only ones around that could make that sort of deal.
But if this was to be the case they better finish the series in 4 otherwise I can't see this sort of deal happening ever again.
 
I wouldn't write off a higher budget if they're specifically fishing for it with a pitch that includes gameplay prototypes and polished visuals. It's basically a way of showing a publisher "this is what we can do with more resources".

Even if Shenmue III wasn't a smash hit there's actually a lot of attractive qualities that might get an investor's attention. It's an established IP with a cult following, has an upcoming cross-media expansion into a new audience, and a lot of technological legwork done on a recent instalment.

Doesn't mean it's a sure thing, but y'know. If they find a partner who sees the potential to *grow* Shenmue as a franchise, YsNet could walk away with a bigger total budget than they had with III. They'll never get AAA money, but there's obviously a strong case for scaling up the overall team size so that they're not so stretched between designing and implementing their systems, and actually creating game content.
 
I wouldn't write off a higher budget if they're specifically fishing for it with a pitch that includes gameplay prototypes and polished visuals. It's basically a way of showing a publisher "this is what we can do with more resources".

Even if Shenmue III wasn't a smash hit there's actually a lot of attractive qualities that might get an investor's attention. It's an established IP with a cult following, has an upcoming cross-media expansion into a new audience, and a lot of technological legwork done on a recent instalment.

Doesn't mean it's a sure thing, but y'know. If they find a partner who sees the potential to *grow* Shenmue as a franchise, YsNet could walk away with a bigger total budget than they had with III. They'll never get AAA money, but there's obviously a strong case for scaling up the overall team size so that they're not so stretched between designing and implementing their systems, and actually creating game content.
Also add to the fact that if they did get funding yesterday, last week, last month... Tokyo is still in a state of emergency, and whilst YSNET offices may still be open and operational to some capacity, there's no way a full dev team is in there working. With Japan being such a closed door country, God knows what's going on over there.

I have recently rekindled my love for both Shenmue, and more importantly Shenmue 3, and I would more than happily take a Shenmue IV with the same look, engine, mechanics etc. My new found appreciation and love for Shenmue 3 has me beyond thirsty, and I would take anything at this point. Unfortunately I know that's a very selfish stance to take since an investor will want profits from a fourth game, and it will need changes and tweaks to have any chance of returning reputable sales figures. What saddens me is that the Shenmue series in general offers such a breath of fresh air to the gaming industry, and isn't appreciated as it should. I thought this years E3 has been a borderline disgrace, with around 90% of the games shown involving shooting a gun, or slashing a sword. Honestly, go back and watch every reveal and conference, then come back and tell me I am wrong. If that's what appeals to the masses and sells, then I weep for the future of both gaming and younger people growing up with games.
 
With Japan being such a closed door country, God knows what's going on over there.
Don’t let the state of emergency fool you. It’s very much business as usual over here. Some businesses did take the first state of emergency fairly seriously, but the latest one has been largely ignored by most businesses and individuals. While I wouldn’t rule out reduced hours at YsNet entirely, my guess is that they’ve been going about their day to day business as usual.
 
Don’t let the state of emergency fool you. It’s very much business as usual over here. Some businesses did take the first state of emergency fairly seriously, but the latest one has been largely ignored by most businesses and individuals. While I wouldn’t rule out reduced hours at YsNet entirely, my guess is that they’ve been going about their day to day business as usual.
Ahhhhh oks. So, would there be a working from home culture for office based staff going on over there, like over here? or is everyone back in the offices? This is very good to know, thanks @tomboz
 
Ahhhhh oks. So, would there be a working from home culture for office based staff going on over there, like over here? or is everyone back in the offices? This is very good to know, thanks @tomboz
It varies from company to company. My previous employer flat out refused to let us work from home even though it would have been very easy for us to do so. My wife’s company allowed people to work from home to begin with, but then decided they wanted everybody back in full time when the second SoE got extended. Pretty much everyone we know is still having to go into the office too, despite the fact that it’s worse here now than it’s ever been in terms of the number of confirmed infections.

For the most part, it really does feel like life has gone on as normal in Japan. “State of Emergency” sounds severe, for sure, but it’s actually just the government asking businesses to take certain measures rather than actually forcing them to. I’m told it’s because actually enforcing closures and other such measures would require them to pay some sort of compensation, which they can’t afford to do, so most people just ignore the SoE entirely as there’s no kind of incentive. Well, apart from not getting sick and dying, but due to the relatively low death rate here, most people don’t seem to be too worried about that.

To be fair, I have heard of some Japanese companies embracing the idea of working from home and for all I know YSNet could be one of them. Given how few companies are taking the pandemic seriously here, however, I’d be somewhat surprised if they were.
 
I really want there to be a shenmue V but I worry that due to reception of previous game it will likely end next game. Even hardcore supporters on here are saying it so there's little chance of success I am afraid

Personally I hope there is a V and VI as I love the game and regardless of faults, III has been sensational to catch up on the story after 15 years but reading fans reaction I think he will feel tired for the series and not bother. It's the trolls faults and our faults for letting them win

People just expect to much and they will miss it when it's gone
 
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