Shenmue IV Will Happen - Here's Why!

Well, I mean, I'm still just extrapolating based on a small thing. It could mean literally nothing.

But, I just think the two statements are just too different.

There's several ways you can say "still searching, still looking, still pitching". In my mind, you can't slip and belt out a "no comment" or "can't comment" if they were still doing the former.
 
Sony is investing aggressively in third - party exclusives !?
This could probably mean that Shenmue 4 is likely to become a reality.
Let us keep out fingers crossed and hope for an announcement in the near future.
I really want this to happen, not only could the quality improve drastically but it’ll likely reach a wider audience with better marketing on top of the Shenmue anime already likely to bring in new fans.
 
I think Sony has done a bit of an about-face after that particularly scathing article by J. Schreier.

It seems they've learned their lesson and may do a bit more of listening. Now, let's see if they act on it with franchises such as Shenmue to broaden their niche appeal.

Also--72% of gamers according to a GameSpot poll want PS1-PS3 as the most requested feature for the PS5. Will they listen to that now that BC has been such a boon for Xbox? Let's see. E3 in a little over a month.
 
I think 4 will happen, after all the basic stuff is there, the money from Epic and so on. Even if it's only for PC. There are games even more niche that keep appearing on PC with low budgets.

5 is a different story. I think Yu secured 4 while making those deals with Deep Silver and Epic, but if it flops again like 3 (in terms of score and public criticism), 5 is gonna be really hard.

I really hope it happens and I hope that Shenmue gets closed with 5 (4 being a long chapter that gives many answers in China and 5 the revenge and a final return to Japan) because Yu Suzuki is already 60 something and eventually he'll have to retire, added to financing problems... I just wish it can be properly closed as it deserves.
 
I think 4 will happen, after all the basic stuff is there, the money from Epic and so on. Even if it's only for PC. There are games even more niche that keep appearing on PC with low budgets.

5 is a different story. I think Yu secured 4 while making those deals with Deep Silver and Epic, but if it flops again like 3 (in terms of score and public criticism), 5 is gonna be really hard.

I really hope it happens and I hope that Shenmue gets closed with 5 (4 being a long chapter that gives many answers in China and 5 the revenge and a final return to Japan) because Yu Suzuki is already 60 something and eventually he'll have to retire, added to financing problems... I just wish it can be properly closed as it deserves.
I think Yu Suzuki will strike some deal with Sony because according to the latest news they are investing hard in third party exclusives and although being considered a niche series it as a loyal and devoted fan base that will support it.
Sony knows that exclusives is what makes them the best selling console in the market and they intent to keep it that way; so the more exclusives the better.
Who knows; maybe by now or even before they have already made a deal.
 
I think Sony backing Shenmue 4 is pure wishful thinking. Here's hoping they're justified to do so with 5, though.

I always found the hate for ET somewhat humorous. It’s not fun and definitely nonsensical, but so are most 2600 games. Now, Superman 64...

But I agree with your larger point. It’s sad some people just care about critics.

ET is just someone trying to do too much with the old 2600 hardware, the only reason it's called "the worst game ever made" is because of the landfill backstory and how this crippled Atari financially. Raiders of the Lost Ark is another example, a very cryptic game that IS nonsense if the software is viewed in isolation... but you don't see too many people egging on it. In fact, ET might be much more intuitive to play.
 
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Koch was just posting about Shenmue Day today. I find it much easier to believe Deep Silver will continue publishing this series. Sony hasn’t done anything to publicize it in years.
 
Yeah, Koch/Deep Silver is magnitudes more likely than Sony. Don't forget, Sony is all about their hundred-million dollar exclusives that make big bucks. They do experiment, but generally with new franchises/IPs that they own, rather than picking up or supporting a 4th game in a series. I'm not saying SIII didn't sell well (although we really don't know), but I can guarantee that it wasn't enough for Sony to bat an eye about exclusivity.
 
You guys can forget about Sony. If this was 2002 it would have been the case for sure. Shenmue was at its peak of popularity, it was the star of Dreamcast and it would have been a big PR move to get the saga exclusively. Nowadays Shenmue is even more niche than Yakuza, and they even lost the exclusivity to Yakuza.

They made a PR move in 2015 because of the "mystical" Shenmue 3 but nothing else.

As for Koch Media, I wasn't very happy with their late involvement in Shenmue 3, but if that was for a continued support of the saga, then I'm all in. They publish small games that sell even less than any Shenmue. I hope that Yu can convince to go on until the end.

With two more games with the scope of 3 and Yu learning of his mistakes in 3 (after all he was away for many years of this industry) and closing the saga in 5 (chapter 1 S1, chapter 2 comic, chapters 3-5 S2, chapters 6-8 S3, chapters 9-10 S4 and chapters 11-12 S5) would be a dream for any fan.
 
I agree with you guys, once Sony wrapped up Japan Studio they didn't seem fussed about having prestige titles anymore. Hopefully Koch Media may step in as a partner, but I think Epic would be the most likely / best for the game (they are unbelievably cash rich and the unreal engine support can only be a good thing)

It kinda aligns with the Esra Krabbe interview from yesterday that a partner would be more interested in having a well renowned series in the portfolio, knowing it wont shift millions but will be very much appreciated by a hardcore group of fans.

Despite everything I would truly like to see Sega back on board. They are doing very well these days and it's such a good opportunity for them to bring it back in house , which would bring in a lot of goodwill from people who were let down by 3. They own the IP. They have a custom built game engine and a developer ready to go for literally no cost, seems like an open goal to me. When i read they pissed away 30 million on the Sakura mobile game it just made me sad. They could still make a fortune off collectibles and merchandising, instead of letting Limited Run et al take it from them.
 
Maybe, but I don’t think it makes much sense to promote a dead IP. The games been out nearly two years and they have a deep catalog. I bet it’s a steady seller. That’s the thing we’re missing. If it sold 500 copies a month for two years, wouldn’t that still matter?
 
Maybe, but I don’t think it makes much sense to promote a dead IP. The games been out nearly two years and they have a deep catalog. I bet it’s a steady seller. That’s the thing we’re missing. If it sold 500 copies a month for two years, wouldn’t that still matter?
Ren - Smells Fishy.jpg
 
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