- Joined
- Dec 15, 2019
- Location
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Favourite title
- Shenmue II
- Currently playing
- Shenmue 2 (HD), Baldur's Gate 3, Starfield, TOTK
I see often de comparison of Yakuza 7 costing 21 millions and Shenmue 3 costing 20 millions.
It's worth noting that Yakuza is now a long lasting series using the same assets as the previous one and it's important to say that the setting and the city is the same (with a few exceptions) and without the same depth as Shenmues has. So they use an engine and assets that they already know very well, and have a team that knows exactly how all of this works.
Meanwhile Shenmue 3 was created from scratch. They had to create everything from blank, while learning how to use the UE4 engine. So, if they were to make exactly Shenmue 3 as it is now with the knowledge of UE4 and the majority of the assets already done, it would probably cost a lot less, or they could have done much more with 20 millions.
It's also worth saying that a huge part of the budget came mid-development, the dev started in August 2015 and Deep Silver came and gave a budget during August or September (don't remember) 2017. While Yakuza is being developed internally in SEGA so they were probably aware of their budget before starting production, which may have simplified planification which Shenmue 3 didn't have
It's worth noting that Yakuza is now a long lasting series using the same assets as the previous one and it's important to say that the setting and the city is the same (with a few exceptions) and without the same depth as Shenmues has. So they use an engine and assets that they already know very well, and have a team that knows exactly how all of this works.
Meanwhile Shenmue 3 was created from scratch. They had to create everything from blank, while learning how to use the UE4 engine. So, if they were to make exactly Shenmue 3 as it is now with the knowledge of UE4 and the majority of the assets already done, it would probably cost a lot less, or they could have done much more with 20 millions.
It's also worth saying that a huge part of the budget came mid-development, the dev started in August 2015 and Deep Silver came and gave a budget during August or September (don't remember) 2017. While Yakuza is being developed internally in SEGA so they were probably aware of their budget before starting production, which may have simplified planification which Shenmue 3 didn't have