News Articles
Tuesday24th Jul 2018
News Good News! Shenmue III's Scope Just Increased Again
Game reaches another stretch goal
Shenmue III’s stumbled over $7 million in fan funding through slacker backer support, which means that the scale of the project has increased again. As per its stretch goal obligations, Ys Net will now be adding a new system named AI Battling. We’ve read the developer’s description of what it actually is a...
Tuesday3rd Jul 2018
News Shenmue III Celebrates Backer Surveys with New Footage
For the Rin
Those of you who backed Shenmue III on Kickstarter should receive a survey soon, allowing you to select your t-shirt size and share other details depending upon the tier you chose. And to celebrate that news, developer Ys Net has released a cute little clip starring one of the title’s characters: Rin. It’s obviously not...
Thursday17th May 2018
News Shenmue III Looks Like It's Going to Need Every Minute of That Delay
And probably more
Shenmue III was delayed recently, and by the grace of the Phoenix Mirror it looks like it needs it. The title just doesn’t seem to be coming together at all: new footage (skip to 2:15 in the embedded video) shows an improvement to Shenhua’s character model, but protagonist Ryo Hazuki and the rest of the cast still look...
Wednesday16th May 2018
News Shenmue III in Delay to 2019 Shocker
Changed my mind
Shenmue III was never coming out this year, but now publisher Deep Silver has confirmed. In an outstandingly brief statement, the firm said that the “extra time will be used to polish the quality of the game even further”. Considering the scant snippets of gameplay we’ve seen thus far have been barely polished at all, it’s...
Monday26th Feb 2018
News Shenmue III Celebrates MAGIC 2018 with Four New Screenshots
Lan Di drama
Fans were disappointed by Shenmue III’s presence at MAGIC 2018 in Monaco this weekend, as Ys Net opted to show an extended version of last year’s awkward Gamescom 2018 trailer instead of all-new footage. The developer did, however, release four new screenshots, which we’ve embedded in this article. The character models are...
Tuesday16th Jan 2018
News Shenmue III Shows Impressive Progression in New PS4 Screenshots
More details at MAGIC Monaco next month
Shenmue III’s scheduled to release in 2018, and a trio of new PlayStation 4 screenshots show the progress that the project’s making. First up we get a new glimpse of protagonists Ryo Hazuki and Shenhua, who are beginning to resemble their Dreamcast counterparts. There’s still work to be done, but at...
Thursday4th Jan 2018
News Shenmue III's Looking Like a Lock for 2018
That's the plan, anyway
Shenmue III will finally continue its search for Lan Di later this year – at least, that very much appears to be the plan. The title was originally scheduled to launch in 2017, but never looked like it was going to hit its ambitious ship date. However, Cedric Biscay – who fronts up Shibuya Productions, one of the many...
Wednesday13th Dec 2017
News Shenmue III Introduces New Character, Partnership with Lakshya Digital
I see
With publisher Deep Silver involved and a year of development still to go, expectations for Shenmue III have been raised. The good news is that Ys Net has been able to recruit some external support, with Lakshya Digital being brought on board to render the various non-playable characters that you’ll encounter around the world. If you’ve...
Thursday28th Sep 2017
News This Shenmue III Facial Animation Video Will Not Alleviate Concerns
Her face is scary
The team making Shenmue III seem pretty naïve to us. So, you may recall the title’s first trailer releasing recently, and the ribbing that ensued regarding its non-existent facial animations. Well, now Ys Net has clumsily deployed a video showing it faffing about w
Thursday31st Aug 2017
News Shenmue III Shows Off Three New PS4 Screenshots
Chillin' in Guilin
Shenmue III got a new trailer and details at Gamescom 2017, which generally divided opinion despite being a work in progress. While the new footage showcased some stunning environmental artwork, it also spotlighted some truly woeful animations. Series creator Yu Suzuki has said that
Wednesday23rd Aug 2017
News Shenmue III's Character Models are Temporary, Facial Animations Were Removed
Yu Suzuki weighs in on game length, improvements, and forklifts
Shenmue III received its first PlayStation 4 teaser trailer this week, and it came in for some criticism. While the environments showcased certainly looked impressive, many felt disappointed with the title’s wax-work character models and non-existent facial animations. Speaking with...
Tuesday22nd Aug 2017
Gamescom 2017 Shenmue III PS4 Screenshots Show Stunning Locales, Waxy Characters
Yu Suzuki targeting improvements
Shenmue III’s debut trailer has been met with a mixed response: fans love the look of the environments, but pretty much everyone is in agreement that the animations need work. It’s no surprise, then, that Ys Net’s long-awaited sequel looks much better in stills – with its oversaturated art style augmenting...
Gamescom 2017 Here's Your First Look at Shenmue III on PS4
And thus the saga begins
What a surreal moment this is: we’ve waited over 15 years, but here’s our very first look at Shenmue III on the PlayStation 4. We’ve got to be honest with you, it’s hard to believe that we’re even writing this. So, the good: the environments are excellent. Yu Suzuki’s adventure series is famous for its...
Thursday17th Aug 2017
News Shenmue III Lands New Character Art, Global Publishing Partner
Silver lining
We were promised new Shenmue III information at Gamescom 2017 next week, and developer Ys Net has prefaced that with fresh artwork and news of a publishing partnership. Deep Silver – who seems to enjoy working with Kickstarter successes – has announced that it will publish the long-awaited sequel on the PlayStation 4 (and PC,...
Friday30th Jun 2017
News Shenmue III Footage to Debut at Gamescom 2017
Sequel scores new logo, too
After an extremely disappointing E3 2017 no-show, Shenmue III will be taking the trip to Gamescom 2017, where new footage of the anticipated PlayStation 4 sequel will debut. “While we are still working out the details with our partners, we plan to show our newest movie clips, share the latest updates, and even make some...
Thursday8th Jun 2017
News Shenmue III Stalls the Search for Lan Di Until Second Half of 2018
Game is "bigger and more beautiful" than expected
Shenmue III is returning to the dojo until the second half of 2018, series creator Yu Suzuki has announced. The game was previously scheduled to launch later this year, but even the most ardent fans of the franchise must have anticipated a delay – especially when developer Ys Net ruled out an...
Monday29th May 2017
News Shenmue III Will Not Be At E3 2017
Here's a new character, though
Many had expected Shenmue III to be on display at E3 2017 next month, but developer Ys Net has ruled that out in an update on the title’s Kickstarter page. “We will be devoting June to game development and, as a result, will unfortunately not be participating in any game shows,” the studio said. It’s still...
Monday1st May 2017
News Yu Suzuki Discusses Shenmue III's Story Development
Cool story, bro
It's another Shenmue III update with very little on the progress of the project. This time, director Yu Suzuki talks about the development of the title's plot, and how he uses films as a reference for the cinematography. It's a very top-level look at the creation of games, and doesn't really provide many hints on the nature of the...
Thursday16th Mar 2017
News Shenmue III Clears Some QTEs in Cruddy Dev Diary
Changed my mind
Shenmue III's supposed to release this year, but we'll save you the disappointment of a delay right here and now: it's not. Ys Net has uploaded its first developer diary in months today, and it's basically two minutes of next to nothing, as the team laugh and joke their way around the company's distinctively pokey office. There is a...
Thursday15th Dec 2016
News Shenmue III's Shaping Up Nicely in New PS4 Screenshots
Way cool
Following confirmation that Shenmue III is about to enter full-production, developer Ys Net has released a brand new batch of screenshots showing off the upcoming sequel. The studio still seems coy regarding actual character models – the early images of Ryo Hazuki and Shenhua looked all kinds of wrong – but these do look pretty. In...
Tuesday13th Dec 2016
News Shenmue III Headed Towards Full-Scale Production At Last
Expect new videos early next year
Many had hoped that we'd get a glimpse of Shenmue III at PSX 2016 this month, but the show came and went without word of Yu Suzuki's long-awaited sequel. However, the former SEGA man has provided an update on the project at long last, revealing in the latest issue of Japanese mag Famitsu that the title will be...
Saturday30th Jul 2016
News Shenmue Sub-Director Searches for More Sailors in Shenmue III
Back on the bike
Yu Suzuki's name will forever be tied to Shenmue – it was his magnum opus, after all. But as is the case with so many projects, he had a team around him to realise his vision, and one such person was Keiji Okayasu. He served as a sub-director on the SEGA Dreamcast original, and also contributed to its sequel massively. And now...
Friday1st Jul 2016
News Shenmue 3 Isn't Going to Be Ready for a Long, Long While Yet
Yu Suzuki tells us where it's at
Yesterday, Shenmue III celebrated its first Kickstarter anniversary with a short video from series creator Yu Suzuki. "Your cheers at the Sony announcement still ring in my ears," says the veteran developer, before going into detail about how the project is progressing. According to Suzuki, things have "really taken...
Sunday5th Jun 2016
News Learn Why Shenmue Is Held in Such High Regard
Courage shall determine his fate
Not going to lie: Shenmue III's reveal almost had your humble host in tears last year. It's a game series that's had a profound effect on this author, as illustrated in this soapbox article. But many who missed out on the original – or perhaps were too young to play it – may not understand why Yu Suzuki's...
Saturday27th Feb 2016
News Shenmue III Sizzles in Scintillating New PS4 Screenshots
Bailu's lookin' beautiful
The first Shenmue III screenshot released didn't exactly capture the imagination, but the project's been in development for a little while now, and is slowly beginning to take shape. These images, deployed to coincide with a Shibuya Productions hosted event named Magic Monaco earlier today, really impress, showing shots of...
Tuesday9th Feb 2016
News Yu Suzuki Wants to Evolve the QTE with Shenmue III on PS4
Push square
Back when Shenmue launched for the Dreamcast in 1999, the concept of QTEs was brand new. Yu Suzuki's pioneering 80s adventure for the first time ever required you to be paying attention during cut-scenes: a flailing fist, a falling pot, a slippery road – button prompts would appear on screen and require inputs lest the sequence branch...
Wednesday20th Jan 2016
News Still Can't Believe Shenmue III Is a Real Thing? This Screen Proves It
I see
Shenmue III is real. We've known this for a good six months now, of course, but it's still something that this author – a lifelong Shenmue fan – has to pinch himself over. The sequel seemed unlikely for the longest time – over a decade, in fact – and now a new screenshot has emerged out of a Monaco press event. It's a prototype, so...
Thursday3rd Dec 2015
News Shenmue III Will Pick Up Directly After Shenmue II
I see
Cast your mind back 14 years and you're standing in a cave with mirrors bouncing light around it. The conclusion to Shenmue II, never properly explained, is where Shenmue III will pick up, as veteran director Yu Suzuki prepares to continue the plot of his legendary adventure game. According to a new Kickstarter update, the sequel will depict...
Friday30th Oct 2015
News Shenmue III's Already Looking Impressive on PS4
Yu did it
As undeniably excited as everyone at Push Square Towers is for Shenmue III, we've never held particularly high hopes that the game will be any good. But even at this early stage in development, it's looking visually impressive. As part of a Kickstarter update sent to backers, developer Ys Net has shared a few prototype screens – and...
Wednesday21st Oct 2015
News Ryo Hazuki Will Face Lan Di in Shenmue III on PS4
But will he get his revenge?
Forget the Rumble in the Jungle and Chuck Norris versus Bruce Lee: the bout between Ryo Hazuki and Lan Di threatens to define a generation. Ever since the Chinese tyrant brutally murdered Iwao Hazuki during the opening moments of Shenmue, fans of the franchise have been desperate to exact their revenge on the ponytailed...
