SHENMUE III / Ys Net
Thanks to the hugely popular Kickstarter campaign that raised over 6 million dollars, we will finally be able to play SHENMUE 3 for PC and PS4 in the near future. Estimates say December 2017 at the moment, but that can change for better or for worse of course.
Ever since the official announcement of SHENMUE 3, fans have been wondering if the two original games in the series, SHENMUE (Sega Dreamcast) and SHENMUE 2 (X-Box), will ever see a re-release as an HD remaster. If I were I betting man, which I am not, I would bet that an HD Remaster is inevitable. Plus HD remasters are all the rage right now.
For starters, it would be in the best interest for developer Ys Net and for any platform selling the game to reacquaint fans with the series AND to give those who never played a chance to catch up. Seems like a no-brainer right? After all, SHENMUE released in North America in 2000, with the follow-up SHENMUE 2 in 2003. So yeah, considering a lot of gamers are pretty young, chances are a lot of gamers aren’t even familiar with the franchise.
Now for the good news. Word on the street (Thanks to SEGAnerds, TSSZ and IGN) is that SEGA Europe has registered the domain “ShenmueHD.com” in September 2016. This is usually a pretty good indicator that the wheels are rolling in the right direction. While it is by no means officially coming, I think it’s a pretty safe bet all things considered.
Personally, the SHENMUE franchise is easily one of my all-time favorites sitting snug next to the likes of THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, MASS EFFECT, and THE WITCHER. Good company if you ask me. Needless to say, I desperately want this to happen and would rejoice if I got to revisit this world in HD on my PC or PS4. Fingers crossed.
SHENMUE 3 is slated for a December 2017 Release on PC and PS4. Stay tuned.
