Random Shenmue IV Thoughts.

He doesn’t need to show anything until ready. Not sure why it always goes back to that. But, complete radio silence? That isn’t the way either. I don’t feel like he owes me anything, but there needs to be a happy medium here somewhere. We can all argue pros and cons, but they can’t live in fear of raging idiots on the internet. Regardless of what they do, there will always be bad press, etc. from unhappy people. Just give us Shenmue fans the current situation. It has been a long time since we have even heard the ol’ “I would love to make if given the opportunity..” line. I don’t get the reluctance to speak about it at all.
 
The actual root of my argument is that Suzuki has a huge problem on his hands that giving the silent treatment is likely to exacerbate. Many people (including some Shenmue fans!) think he's either an out of touch has-been, a delusional egomaniac, or at worst a shady grifter.
How exactly will a Shenmue 4 announcement change any of that? If anything, announcing the game with a title card and then showing nothing for 2+ years is only going to make matters worse.
Do you think that, 4-5 years after S3, S4 showing up, looking exactly the same, promising an imminent release date is going to garner positive attention? There would be huge backlash even from fans for being kept in the dark, the gaming press isn't going to believe a word Suzuki says regarding content or release dates, and unless the trailer looks fucking amazing, no one outside the fanbase is going to care.
Again, when an announcement is made doesn’t change any of these things. In fact, I’d argue that announcing with nothing is likely to garner a lot less positive attention than announcing with a near-finished trailer. Likewise, announcing that a game is coming “sometime” or in “2+ years time” or whatever is a lot less credible than announcing with a fixed released date and a trailer that shows that the game is close to completion.

You say that people would be pissed off if S4 released 4-5 years after S3 and still looked the same, but would they not be equally pissed off if S4 was announced three and a half years after S3 and then released another two years later still looking the same as S3? It makes zero difference. When they announce it isn’t going to change the end product one bit.

IMO S4, at a minimum, needs to show 3 new areas (they don't need to be huge but they need to be distinct locations) with a fourth one that can be kept under wraps and out of the trailers. This way you can tease story developments and gameplay scenarios; imagine revealing Meng Cun as a location and stating that we'll finally find out the truth of what happened there or something. You can only really do that kind of controlled drip-feed narrative by announcing early.
You mean like how he announced Baisha and how it was going to be where fans would get to see the real Shenmue 3? Iirc, Baisha was announced several years ahead of the game’s eventual release date, and look what good that did. Not only were fans disappointed with some of the game’s storytelling shortcomings, but they also felt cheated because content that had been teased didn’t end up making it into the game.

Ignoring the potential for a repeat of the Baisha situation, drip feeding random tidbits like this isn’t going to help attract new fans. The only people who will give a dam are the existing fans, and we’re all in either way. Personally, I’d much prefer to be surprised than have everything teased ahead of time.
 
How exactly will a Shenmue 4 announcement change any of that? If anything, announcing the game with a title card and then showing nothing for 2+ years is only going to make matters worse.
1. Something as opposed to nothing is better, definitely.
2. I am arguing against radio silence. Shenmue is not Metroid (and S3 sure as shit isn't Metroid Prime), he can't announce a title card and then go silent for 5 years; he needs to be open and honest with people. The fact that we still don't officially know how much story was covered and how much is left is completely ridiculous considering he knows the precise size of his audience.
Likewise, announcing that a game is coming “sometime” or in “2+ years time” or whatever is a lot less credible than announcing with a fixed released date and a trailer that shows that the game is close to completion.
It gives time to get eyeballs on the game and develop interest. You drop an announcement trailer, maybe give some hint as to the overall thrust of the storyline (it would very much help if S4 was the final game cuz then it could be sold as such; many more people would be on board with that alone). In a year or 2 you drop some gameplay overviews, showing off a few new areas, show that you're addressing issues with S3, and if it looks good, slowly more people will pay attention. After that, when you're close to release, you do what I mentioned above (show off 3 areas and keep 1 in your pocket, announce some big story revelations, stuff to get people hyped) that way you're showing a content rich experience; Suzuki does not have trust on his side so he doesn't have the option to play coy.
You say that people would be pissed off if S4 released 4-5 years after S3 and still looked the same, but would they not be equally pissed off if S4 was announced three and a half years after S3 and then released another two years later still looking the same as S3?
Not if he's upfront with the content. Tears of the Kingdom looks exactly like Breath of the Wild, even using the same map, but Nintendo has the goods so no one cares even one bit. But this is assuming Suzuki has the goods, naturally.
You mean like how he announced Baisha and how it was going to be where fans would get to see the real Shenmue 3? Iirc, Baisha was announced several years ahead of the game’s eventual release date, and look what good that did. Not only were fans disappointed with some of the game’s storytelling shortcomings, but they also felt cheated because content that had been teased didn’t end up making it into the game.
I mean, Baisha wasn't announced per se, it was a stretch goal that was met and then cut for one reason or another but Suzuki will obviously not have that option again (which is why footage should be shown early). Ideally S4 bringing the series to a close should solve that issue or Suzuki being upfront about how much story is covered vs. what's left would do the trick as well. Saying nothing and leaving fans in the dust with another cliffhanger ending and no idea if/when the next installment is coming or how far we are in the story would be the final nail in the coffin for Suzuki's reputation. The gaming press already doesn't care what else he's working on.
Ignoring the potential for a repeat of the Baisha situation, drip feeding random tidbits like this isn’t going to help attract new fans. The only people who will give a dam are the existing fans, and we’re all in either way.
I guess this is our main point of disagreement. Even Yakuza didn't really take off until several installments in. If Shenmue can deliver on its promise of "epic martial arts movie the game" I don't see why it couldn't be a hit, much less court a wider audience.
 
I guess this is our main point of disagreement. Even Yakuza didn't really take off until several installments in. If Shenmue can deliver on its promise of "epic martial arts movie the game" I don't see why it couldn't be a hit, much less court a wider audience.

Yakuza 1, 2 and 3 sold better than any title that came after it, until 0 was released in the West (11 years after the first), with 1 and 2 having the most sales.

4 and DS caused a lull in sales, but it was a huge moneymaker before those two games.
 
Yakuza 1, 2 and 3 sold better than any title that came after it, until 0 was released in the West (11 years after the first), with 1 and 2 having the most sales.

4 and DS caused a lull in sales, but it was a huge moneymaker before those two games.
Yakuza 1 and 2 have the benefit of being PS2 games (aka the best selling console) and even then, Yakuza 0 sold more (first in the series to crack 2M) and Yakuza 6 sold more than 3 (first in the series to crack 1M since Yakuza 2 if you don't count Judgement or Like a Dragon). That's still really impressive considering the series was on a steady sales decline from 3-5. But my point wasn't really regarding sales per se, more that the series really entered the zeitgeist in its later years (similar to Persona), something that I could easily see happening to Shenmue under the right conditions.
 
I guess this is our main point of disagreement. Even Yakuza didn't really take off until several installments in. If Shenmue can deliver on its promise of "epic martial arts movie the game" I don't see why it couldn't be a hit, much less court a wider audience.
Nowhere did I say that I didn’t think that a fourth Shenmue game could be successful. In fact? I absolutely think that it has the potential to sell well. My point, though, is that teasing stuff like Meng Cun or finding out what happened there isn’t going to mean a thing to non-fans.

We clearly have very differing opinions on this topic, so probably best we end the conversation here. At this point, it feels like we’re just going round in circles anyway.
 
This has happened before in the last year
Forums: Its been quite a time since we got some hint that there's still commitment to finishing Shenmue series. Please, Yu-san, at least tell us that🥺
(Interview happens)
Yu Suzuki: I'm still commited to finish Shenmue series 🙂
Forums: 😐😡
...
And also
Forums: Please Yu-san, tell us your whereabouts.

Yu Suzuki: I'm researching in AI.

Forums: Lets discuss any topic but AI.
The costs, the delay/silence...

Someone: AI reduces costs, involves silence due to patents and such...

Forum: Yeah, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.
 
My point, though, is that teasing stuff like Meng Cun or finding out what happened there isn’t going to mean a thing to non-fans.
Suzuki needs to build trust with his audience, Meng Cun is a great way to do that because you can literally show clips of the opening cutscene of the first game where that gets set up, implying that, yes, the story has been planned out. So even if a wider audience has no idea what the significance is, it's not difficult to catch them up to speed, and it's extremely useful for making it seem like Suzuki knows what he's doing.
We clearly have very differing opinions on this topic, so probably best we end the conversation here.
I would just like you to consider this from the opposite angle, which is that this is the end of the series. Do you think Suzuki should just remain tight lipped about it for the rest of his life? He did mention that there are no plans for it last year but to my knowledge hasn't said anything post-anime. IMO that's not good enough. Shenmue 3 wasn't a big success but it was a very successful Kickstarter so it stands to reason that he knows the size of his audience. So what's he waiting for? Start another KS for Shenmue 4 or scale back development to fit the audience size. This is where I do think the fans are owed something because we showed up; the hard part was over: Shenmue 3 got made. If he wants to say that there just isn't enough demand to finish the series, or it won't be profitable, or whatever then say it because what about the situation is going to change? Also, the anime was clearly going to cover ground beyond S3, was he content to finish the story in that form?
Forums: Its been quite a time since we got some hint that there's still commitment to finishing Shenmue series. Please, Yu-san, at least tell us that🥺
(Interview happens)
Yu Suzuki: I'm still commited to finish Shenmue series 🙂
Forums: 😐😡
He said there are no concrete plans for Shenmue 4, 2 years after he said it was likely that he would get to make it and we're now 1 year removed from that (after delivering the biggest videogame Kickstarter ever). Surely you can see why that would lead to some :mad:.
 
it's extremely useful for making it seem like Suzuki knows what he's doing.
The guy created some of the best arcade games of all time, played a pivotal role in the leap from 2D to 3D fighting games, and laid the foundations for the open world genre. I don’t think there’s any doubt that he knows what he’s doing. Anybody who doesn’t see that isn’t going to have their mind changed by a trailer showing that he planned his story many years in advance.
I would just like you to consider this from the opposite angle, which is that this is the end of the series. Do you think Suzuki should just remain tight lipped about it for the rest of his life? He did mention that there are no plans for it last year but to my knowledge hasn't said anything post-anime. IMO that's not good enough. Shenmue 3 wasn't a big success but it was a very successful Kickstarter so it stands to reason that he knows the size of his audience. So what's he waiting for? Start another KS for Shenmue 4 or scale back development to fit the audience size. This is where I do think the fans are owed something because we showed up; the hard part was over: Shenmue 3 got made. If he wants to say that there just isn't enough demand to finish the series, or it won't be profitable, or whatever then say it because what about the situation is going to change? Also, the anime was clearly going to cover ground beyond S3, was he content to finish the story in that form?

He said there are no concrete plans for Shenmue 4, 2 years after he said it was likely that he would get to make it and we're now 1 year removed from that (after delivering the biggest videogame Kickstarter ever). Surely you can see why that would lead to some :mad:.
What exactly do you want him to say? That he’s (presumably) still exploring every possible avenue but that nobody is willing to take the risk? Because from here, it just sounds like you want him to give up on his dream or compromise his vision just to give you some sort of closure or to ease your impatience.

The fact that he hasn’t come out and publicly thrown in the towel or scaled back his plans and done another Kickstarter would seem to suggest that he still believes that he can finish the series on his own terms. Even if that isn’t the case, the series is his to do with as he pleases. If he wants to sit tight a little longer or continue chasing publishers until he finds one that’s willing to invest, that’s his business, not yours or anybody else’s.
 
The guy created some of the best arcade games of all time, played a pivotal role in the leap from 2D to 3D fighting games, and laid the foundations for the open world genre.
Those were 30 years ago and Shenmue has less to do with "open world games" and more to do with ultra-budget AAA spectacle games (Uncharted, Last of Us, God of War, Quantic Dream games etc.) which, presumably, is why he doesn't want to do it on the cheap (but, again, he should be upfront about that).
I don’t think there’s any doubt that he knows what he’s doing. Anybody who doesn’t see that isn’t going to have their mind changed by a trailer showing that he planned his story many years in advance.
His most recent high profile game was Shenmue 3 which has indeed caused many to doubt that he knows what he's doing in terms of design, managing a budget, and attracting an audience which is why he's having a hard time developing a fourth game. Nobody cares what he did in the '80s and '90s; the gaming industry is unrecognizable now compared to then. If his desire is to secure a higher budget than what the best video game Kickstarter was able to provide then, again, he should be upfront about this (and in fairness he has to some degree, though that was 2-3 years ago).
What exactly do you want him to say? That he’s (presumably) still exploring every possible avenue but that nobody is willing to take the risk?
1. How much money does he require to finish his vision (not an exact amount, but basically whether or not he will fund it through Kickstarter or if a publisher is his only option) and will he scale it to finish it?
2. How much story is covered, how much is left, if he was willing to let the anime finish the story and if he's willing to explore other media post-anime?
3. What are his plans for S4 (how would he make it more appealing, how much story would it cover etc.)?
Because from here, it just sounds like you want him to give up on his dream or compromise his vision just to give you some sort of closure or to ease your impatience.
I think that Shenmue 3 was a failure of such colossal magnitude that we will never get a Shenmue 4 (people really seem to downplay how big a deal it was that we got Shenmue 3 and are in the exact same position as we were after S2) so I'm not impatient for something that I don't think will exist. What grinds my gears is Suzuki's refusal to be open with fans about it after we showed up massively for him. Frankly, it sounds like you think of Suzuki the same way that Jim Sterling does which is to say someone who is very adept at spending other people's money with no regard for the audience he actually has.
The fact that he hasn’t come out and publicly thrown in the towel or scaled back his plans and done another Kickstarter would seem to suggest that he still believes that he can finish the series on his own terms.
What are those terms? Does he want a AAA budget? AA? Shenmue 3 cost north of $20M when it was all said and done and it clearly isn't popular enough to merit that (to be clear, the first two Uncharted games cost $20M each to develop and they had to make a custom engine). The fact that he went from confident in S4 in 2020, to "no plans" in 2022, to radio silence even after the cancelled anime suggests something different to me. This is all extra baffling because he knows the size of his audience; Kickstarter is right there with ~$7M, which is an eye watering amount of money to a small developer.
Even if that isn’t the case, the series is his to do with as he pleases. If he wants to sit tight a little longer or continue chasing publishers until he finds one that’s willing to invest, that’s his business, not yours or anybody else’s.
This is true and it is my business (and the business of everyone who contributed to the KS) to consider it the height of arrogance to ask fans for money after 20 years, release one of the worst modern games I've ever played, then blame those fans for its failure (he made it for us, after all, not a wide audience, which he'll totally do for S4) and make them wait in silence to do it all over again. Ridiculous.
 
1. How much money does he require to finish his vision (not an exact amount, but basically whether or not he will fund it through Kickstarter or if a publisher is his only option) and will he scale it to finish it?
2. How much story is covered, how much is left, if he was willing to let the anime finish the story and if he's willing to explore other media post-anime?
3. What are his plans for S4 (how would he make it more appealing, how much story would it cover etc.)?
All of these questions have been answered in one form or another, but I suspect the reality is that a lot of this is subject to change.

For example, he’s stated that he wants to make one or two more games and that we’re about 60% of the way through the story, so we can reasonably conclude that Shenmue 4 would likely cover around 20% if there are two more games or the remaining 40% if it’s to be the last game in the series. We know that he wants more than the $20m or so that he had for S3, but again, I’d imagine that how much exactly he’s asking for might vary from publisher to publisher or whether he’s pitching one more game (which would presumably be bigger and thus cost more) or two.

Publicly coming out and saying something along the lines of “I need $X million and I want to make two more games.” at this point would almost certainly weaken his position in future negotiations and have a negative impact on his image (if he says that he’s going to make two more AAA games but ends up compromising with a publisher and just making one AA game, for example, it could be seen as him having failed). Likewise, him having publicly declared a budget could scare away potential publishers before talks even begin, or make it difficult to ask for more if they suddenly find themselves pitching to someone with much deeper pockets.

Ultimately, saying anything when nothing has been decided is a bad idea. There’s nothing to gain from it (other than perhaps appeasing an handful of entitled fans) and everything to lose.

Frankly, it sounds like you think of Suzuki the same way that Jim Sterling does which is to say someone who is very adept at spending other people's money with no regard for the audience he actually has.

Not at all. YS has spoken many times about how grateful he is for the support of the fans and made changes to his vision for S3 in an attempt to provide fan service and show his gratitude. As I’ve already stated several times now, I just don’t feel as though he should be forever indebted to the fanbase for paying for a game that we begged him to make for more than a decade. He doesn’t owe us constant updates after delivering S3; especially when there is (presumably) nothing to update us on.

This is true and it is my business (and the business of everyone who contributed to the KS) to consider it the height of arrogance to ask fans for money after 20 years, release one of the worst modern games I've ever played, then blame those fans for its failure (he made it for us, after all, not a wide audience, which he'll totally do for S4) and make them wait in silence to do it all over again. Ridiculous.
At this point I’m convinced that you’re trolling. Nowhere has YS “blamed the fans” for Shenmue 3. As for it being one of the worst modern games you’ve ever played, this is either hyperbole of the highest order or you really don’t play a lot of games. Either way, I feel very differently about Shenmue 3 and so can’t really empathize here.
 
This is true and it is my business (and the business of everyone who contributed to the KS) to consider it the height of arrogance to ask fans for money after 20 years, release one of the worst modern games I've ever played, then blame those fans for its failure (he made it for us, after all, not a wide audience, which he'll totally do for S4) and make them wait in silence to do it all over again. Ridiculous.
Unfortunately it isn't. And to say he's blaming fans for the 'failure' of Shenmue 3 is just spitting unfounded accusations or twisting what was actually said to fit your viewpoint. Shenmue 3 was made for the fans and he's always clear in that fact.

All the time fans are asking for Shenmue 4 he will be looking for a way to make it and when the time is right we will be told the situation be it good or bad.
 
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For example, he’s stated that he wants to make one or two more games and that we’re about 60% of the way through the story, so we can reasonably conclude that Shenmue 4 would likely cover around 20% if there are two more games or the remaining 40% if it’s to be the last game in the series. We know that he wants more than the $20m or so that he had for S3, but again, I’d imagine that how much exactly he’s asking for might vary from publisher to publisher or whether he’s pitching one more game (which would presumably be bigger and thus cost more) or two.
You’re conflating a bunch of interviews over the course of several years. For instance, regarding the 60% number, I believe you have that backwards, as Suzuki has stated that Shenmue 3 brings the series' story to 40% (how much is contained in each game and how much is left is a mystery) and I believe this was prior to the release of S3. To my knowledge he hasn't said anything regarding the story since. Regarding getting a similar budget for S4, that was in 2020, shortly after the release of S3 when YS was actually quite positive about getting the chance to make S4. Since then all he's said is that there are "no concrete plans". He also hasn't mentioned anything about the anime and if he was content to allow that to finish the story and/or explore another medium.
Publicly coming out and saying something along the lines of “I need $X million and I want to make two more games.” at this point would almost certainly weaken his position in future negotiations and have a negative impact on his image (if he says that he’s going to make two more AAA games but ends up compromising with a publisher and just making one AA game, for example, it could be seen as him having failed). Likewise, him having publicly declared a budget could scare away potential publishers before talks even begin, or make it difficult to ask for more if they suddenly find themselves pitching to someone with much deeper pockets.

Ultimately, saying anything when nothing has been decided is a bad idea. There’s nothing to gain from it (other than perhaps appeasing an handful of entitled fans) and everything to lose.
I would agree with this if we were not nearly 4 years out and there was already a viable alternative to funding the game that proved extremely successful before. Either way, giving fans some kind of update after the unceremonious cancellation of the anime seems at the very least like the courteous thing to do.
Not at all. YS has spoken many times about how grateful he is for the support of the fans and made changes to his vision for S3 in an attempt to provide fan service and show his gratitude.
Grateful for what he has, making games that cost more than what he has which is exactly Jim Sterling's argument.
As I’ve already stated several times now, I just don’t feel as though he should be forever indebted to the fanbase for paying for a game that we begged him to make for more than a decade.
I'm sorry but he's the one who started the saga, which is purportedly his life's work. He sold S3 on the back of the "unfinished story", cut the part that was supposedly integral to it, and is the number 1 complaint across the board from fans and non fans alike. What kind of masochistic attitude is that? We begged him to finish his life's work?
As for it being one of the worst modern games you’ve ever played, this is either hyperbole of the highest order or you really don’t play a lot of games.
I play and have played a ton of games; it isn't hyperbole and there's no need to go over S3's failures again. The situation we find ourselves in right now is evidence enough.
Nowhere has YS “blamed the fans” for Shenmue 3.
And to say he's blaming fans for the 'failure' of Shenmue 3 is just spitting unfounded accusations or twisting what was actually said to fit your viewpoint. Shenmue 3 was made for the fans and he's always clear in that fact.
He has said that S3 was made for the fans, he said he altered the game to please the fans, that the fans were largely pleased with S3 (ignoring the many of us who weren't, but fine) and he said that S4 will be made for a wider audience to sell better. Which means that he either thought the content of S3 would be inherently appealing to a wider audience and was very wrong, or he intentionally inflated the budget of his game beyond what the fans could support.

What he should be saying is "S3 was the victim of a lot of compromises that had to be made to get it out the door, fortunately we have the engine, a strong asset base, and a clear plan so moving forward the series won't be as expensive to produce. I'm open to another crowd funding effort if the fans are willing because I am determined to finish my life's work." That would be realistic and demonstrate some responsibility-taking.

Then make an actual good game and hopefully more people will like it. Attempting to get similar/equal money off the back of Shenmue 3 is obviously not going to work. I mean, real talk, if you were a publisher responsible to your shareholders, and Yu Suzuki came a knocking for $20M, would you give it to him?
 
He has said that S3 was made for the fans, he said he altered the game to please the fans, that the fans were largely pleased with S3 (ignoring the many of us who weren't, but fine) and he said that S4 will be made for a wider audience to sell better. Which means that he either thought the content of S3 would be inherently appealing to a wider audience and was very wrong, or he intentionally inflated the budget of his game beyond what the fans could support.

What he should be saying is "S3 was the victim of a lot of compromises that had to be made to get it out the door, fortunately we have the engine, a strong asset base, and a clear plan so moving forward the series won't be as expensive to produce. I'm open to another crowd funding effort if the fans are willing because I am determined to finish my life's work." That would be realistic and demonstrate some responsibility-taking.

Then make an actual good game and hopefully more people will like it. Attempting to get similar/equal money off the back of Shenmue 3 is obviously not going to work. I mean, real talk, if you were a publisher responsible to your shareholders, and Yu Suzuki came a knocking for $20M, would you give it to him?
Well he's not wrong according to the various user reviews out there. OK given some of the sites you'd maybe not place as much stock in them as days gone by but to think that the feedback hasn't been listened to or at least got back to YSNET feels a little too much like clutching at straws. He's said in countless interviews the feedback has been heard and knows what he would like to do going forwards.

I'm not sure what you mean but intentionally inflating the budget relating to Shenmue 3 (unless you mean 4) but who wouldn't want to secure more funding for a game which at the time had a budget of around $10m before Deep Silver came along.

He's under no obligation to say anything to anyone. With respect yes the fans helped being Shenmue back and that should never be overlooked but had YS said I'm not making Shenmue 3 the whole thing would be dead and buried regardless of us. End of the day he is the creator of the series (doesn't own the IP remember) and can do as he pleases with it. Sure I'd love more updates but it isn't going to happen soon I can say this as someone who is lucky enough to be in the position that I am, Yu Suzuki is still passionate about Shenmue and wants to finish it. My impression is that he doesn't want to string people along by saying we're doing this or that and those being out in the public, assuming they failed would only do more to hurt things in the eyes of fans. Sometimes no news is good news. Of course if he's had enough and said 'I'm done' then I would expect we would be told and have a right to know. If anything constant badgering is only going to close ranks more within YSNET and given the press reaction to anything Shenmue related who can blame him?

Also for all anyone knows he could be contractually obliged not to say anything at this point. I'm sure no one wants to break any NDA's around Shenmue 4 if it were in development at this stage.

Shenmue has 2 good games and one middling game and has never sold gangbusters. So what he needs to have is a plan. How would they at least recoup that investment? Merch etc? Episodic? Who knows but I'm pretty sure that won't be discussed publicly. Any publisher would have caution with Shenmue given the sales history. They'd be insane not to but if an appropriately costed plan is put to publishers then I'm sure they would consider that in detail. I'm also pretty sure that fact around the engine being there (something I have pushed very hard in the content here) would have been part of any discussions.

Also, to make a final point you don't have to like what Yu Suzuki is doing with Shenmue 4 or the Shenmue series. But frankly your tone towards him on a personal level stinks. Personal attacks towards any members of the Shenmue creative team, SEGA, D3T or anyone else isn't tolerated. Consider that a warning.
 
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He's said in countless interviews the feedback has been heard and knows what he would like to do going forwards.
He hasn't articulated this in any way other than to talk about fast travel/generally speeding up the game but he's also talked about abandoning the pretenses toward an open world (something I totally agree with), but that goes against the notion of fast travel.
I'm not sure what you mean but intentionally inflating the budget relating to Shenmue 3 (unless you mean 4) but who wouldn't want to secure more funding for a game which at the time had a budget of around $10m before Deep Silver came along.
Shenmue raised $6.3M from ~69,000 backers; turning that into a budget around $20M is not financially responsible. Obviously any game could do with more funding but on what planet does it make sense to increase it by 3 times when most of your fans already bought it (many at a significantly increased cost) and you admit that it's designed almost exclusively for them?
How would they at least recoup that investment? Merch etc? Episodic? Who knows but I'm pretty sure that won't be discussed publicly. Any publisher would have caution with Shenmue given the sales history. They'd be insane not to but if an appropriately costed plan is put to publishers then I'm sure they would consider that in detail.
Again, I'm almost certain that all of this has been litigated in the past 4 years. What publisher is going to suddenly change their mind?
But frankly your tone towards him on a personal level stinks. Personal attacks towards any members of the Shenmue creative team, SEGA, D3T or anyone else isn't tolerated. Consider that a warning.
How have I attacked him personally in any way? I actually think the tone around Yu Suzuki, even among critics, has been incredibly polite. Consider how Jim Sterling, SEPW, Yahtzee etc. treat Suzuki with kid gloves compared to the way movie critics go after the likes of, say, Michael Bay, George Lucas, or Rian Johnson. There are people who consider him a con man; I'm not one of them, but I do lay the failure of Shenmue 3 squarely at his feet. IMO his team proved more than capable: S3 is polished, punches far above its weight visually, and runs very well which is why I object to people saying that he was working with a team of amateurs or that more money would have solved the problems with S3. The problems with S3 are actually very easy to address in future games using the exact same team and the resources that they have available to them right now so the fact that that's not happening this far after S3 has me questioning what lessons have been learned.
 
This is true and it is my business (and the business of everyone who contributed to the KS) to consider it the height of arrogance to ask fans for money after 20 years, release one of the worst modern games I've ever played, then blame those fans for its failure (he made it for us, after all, not a wide audience, which he'll totally do for S4) and make them wait in silence to do it all over again. Ridiculous.

It could but let's put it this way: if Suzuki let Shenmue fans, who have already been burned by a 20 year wait between 2 and 3, suffer in silence while the future of the series is once again in limbo (especially after the cancellation of the anime) while secretly having something to say, then at the very least I would classify that as a dick move.

I'm sorry but he's the one who started the saga, which is purportedly his life's work. He sold S3 on the back of the "unfinished story", cut the part that was supposedly integral to it, and is the number 1 complaint across the board from fans and non fans alike. What kind of masochistic attitude is that? We begged him to finish his life's work?

Seeing as you asked here's a few as above. Whether direct or in the standard passive agressive style they are insults whatever way you want to paint them.

How have I attacked him personally in any way? I actually think the tone around Yu Suzuki, even among critics, has been incredibly polite. Consider how Jim Sterling, SEPW, Yahtzee etc. treat Suzuki with kid gloves compared to the way movie critics go after the likes of, say, Michael Bay, George Lucas, or Rian Johnson. There are people who consider him a con man; I'm not one of them, but I do lay the failure of Shenmue 3 squarely at his feet. IMO his team proved more than capable: S3 is polished, punches far above its weight visually, and runs very well which is why I object to people saying that he was working with a team of amateurs or that more money would have solved the problems with S3. The problems with S3 are actually very easy to address in future games using the exact same team and the resources that they have available to them right now so the fact that that's not happening this far after S3 has me questioning what lessons have been learned.
I don't know if you backed it but I suggest you watch A Gamers Journey before assuming Shenmue 3's failures are all his fault. You see quite the detail he was pushing for in the visual presentation in the short sightings we get. Granted you have given the team Kudos for a game that runs well, visually good etc. But what about Deep Silver for pushing it out the door when it was clearly not ready or their poor marketing? YSNET have plenty to answer to in that regard, especially around Kickstarter communication but lets not pretend it is all Yu Suzuki's fault.

Shenmue raised $6.3M from ~69,000 backers; turning that into a budget around $20M is not financially responsible. Obviously any game could do with more funding but on what planet does it make sense to increase it by 3 times when most of your fans already bought it (many at a significantly increased cost) and you admit that it's designed almost exclusively for them?
Firstly because he felt he owed it to the fans to give us a whole Shenmue experience. Story notwithstanding he largely delivered on that. Secondly they were always looking for a publisher to support which was stated in 2017 to allow him to realise his creative vision. Whether he was right or wrong in that it is his right as creator to try and reach that creative vision and they would have had a plan in order to recoup investment. Clearly that didn't go to plan but it isn't the colossal failure you would think. Remember it did 'financially fine', admittedly partly due to Epic sure but when compared to a very high profile release this year it isn't even in the same league.

Again, I'm almost certain that all of this has been litigated in the past 4 years. What publisher is going to suddenly change their mind?
We know 4 was pitched and I assume not picked up in the Shenmue 3 style for want of a better expression. But outside of that we know nothing and I am fairly certain other routes haven't been explored yet

Anyway I'm done.
 
don't know if you backed it but I suggest you watch A Gamers Journey before assuming Shenmue 3's failures are all his fault.
But what about Deep Silver for pushing it out the door when it was clearly not ready or their poor marketing?
I haven't watched it but I'll check it out. Publishers push games out all the time because they work within a limited budget, whatever their marketing budget was was hashed out in advance when signing the game. I don't know the ins and outs of S3's development (I backed the game and then only checked official trailers to avoid spoilers) but I would imagine that delays are one way of explaining the whittling away of the marketing budget. Beyond that, the design decisions and writing in S3 are the primary culprits of my disdain which I do not believe the publisher had any involvement in.
Clearly that didn't go to plan but it isn't the colossal failure you would think.
I refer to S3 as a failure as both a game in its own right and as securing an end to the series. I don't know the details of the sales figures but it's clearly a niche product, which is fine, and so the game should be tailored to the audience it has, not the one it wishes it had.
Something I think everyone, even the people claiming to believe it, knows is false and completely absurd. For lack of a better term, it reeks of people trying to pull the overton window to a more critical center rather than anything said in good faith.
In fairness I've only ever really heard this kind of thing, and not from reputable sources, in light of the KS controversy and the recent NFT fiasco. I think its totally fair to criticize Suzuki on the game(s) that he made.
 
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