Shenmue III has become the most funded video game in Kickstarter history – and there are still 12 hours left for the PlayStation 4 and PC sequel to do something really special. A couple of troll pledges mean that the campaign is fluctuating a little, but at the time of typing its sitting at $5,553,410 – putting it above Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night's still respectable $5,545,991.
Of course, this isn't the end. The game's next Stretch Goal pertains to expansions to the Battle System, and we reckon that its $6 million target is very much in reach. It's perhaps also worth noting that if you want a Blu-ray copy of the game, you may only be able to get it through Kickstarter, so it may well be worth stumping up the money now if you have it to spare.
For the time being, though, we'd like to extend a hearty congratulations to Yu Suzuki and crew. It's been a rollercoaster, but one that's been well worth riding. Where do you think that this will finish up? Make a bold prediction in the comments section below.
[source kickstarter.com]
Comments 29
Thanks to El Torro from NeoGAF for the GIF!
AND YES! WE DID IT!
I'm a massive fan of the originals and was undecided whether to back it or not (not the richest guy at the moment) but as soon as I read your article that it might be the only chance of owning a physical copy I just had to do it. I can live on rice and peas for a few weeks right?
@Worlock_ed You're a God among men!
Where do I think this will end up? Wow that's hard, but here we go:
I think it'll end up in 2018 with an an unfulfilling and ultimately unfinished story, much to the demise of all the people who backed this. If it does end up being the game we've always wanted it will be because of Sony's interference and extra financial backing, which will probably not be liked by backers as well, cause we'll probably see that KS backers are worse off than people who've waited.
I still find it odd how this game came to be a KS project with Sony's involvement. But what really annoys me how he already made clear that this game won't be the actual closing chapter of the Trilogy and won't conclude the story of 1 and 2. With $5 million it might even be unfair to ask a proper Shenmue III, but then again: that's exactly how it's promoted.
The need for these KS projects are increasingly vague and between this game and Inafune begging for money to make Red Ash I feel MS is being abused bi those who don't need it. Inafune made Azure Striker Gunvolt and Mighty Gunvolt, but after that somehow needed money for a comparable game. And before that games is even released he launches a new KS project, after asking for money half way through his first. Then along comes Suzuki, who apparently has an agreement to make Shenmue 3, a game that everyone has been waiting for and was on top of Sony's most requested game list. Why on earth does he need our money? There isn't a company in this business that would be afraid to invest in this! KS is just a scheme to get the pre orders in even earlier which mostly end up in a deception for the backers, even if the game is released and turns out to be great, and it's becoming more and more a marketing tool for bigger companies that have spindoctors planning these things. And Kickstarter doesn't do anything about it and wants to forget what they're all about, because they can use a succes story every now and then, their business relies on it.
@Boerewors Spoil sport.
@get2sammyb
Tell that to the dev with an unique concept that lacks the funds to develop his game because his Kickstarter didn't stand a chance next to Shenmue III.
Kickstarter simply wasn't meant for games that can easily be made without our money involved.
@Boerewors Surely bringing more attention and exposure to Kickstarter in general should increase the possibility of other projects being funded? Most people are getting their 'first taste' of backing with this game, and that may lead them to promoting other projects.
Also, with regards to Sony not entirely funding this: they don't own the IP. Their mantra with regards to first-party stuff is that they have to own the IP, and I think they're right to make that request after getting burned with Crash Bandicoot.
With all the negativity of Mighty 9 I am also afraid for Shenmue 3, but I think backing is the only way I could help them, so I do it anyway
For every reason though, this is still a piece of History
Wait...so Shenmue3 isnt even going to conclude the story of 1 and 2? Because all I've heard from nostalgic fans backing this is that they want to finish the story told in the first two games. That's odd.
Anyway, I feel the funding gap should come into play when deciding which KS projects have the highest backing. Going from an $800,000 goal to $5million ending is a much bigger gap than going from a $2million goal to $5million ending.
@get2sammyb
Sure, I can understand where they're coming from, but they should make exceptions every now and then I feel, like they do with SFV for instance. Every now and then they should let one slide; Sunset Overdrive could've been a Sony exclusive if they had played their cards right and Shenmue WILL be partially funded by Sony, I can guarantee you that.
But maybe this is the succes story KS needs and am I too skeptical, I sure do hope so. Cause I have a pretty strong "bond" with this game as well, coming from a family who distributed Sega consoles from 1995 till 2008. We still sold Dreamcasts with Shenmue when everyone in the west was playing on their PS3 or 360. We actually had our in house Sega magazine me and my brother redacted (pretty professional, although we "borrowed" lots of content from other magazines ) where we wrote a 15 page special on Shenmue, even though our father voted against it because he was sure it wouldn't sell.
I'm really seeking "closure" myself, but I'm afraid Suzuki- San got another taste of the limelight and doesn't wanna let go. He'll make this a Shenmue 2.5 or a prequel of some sort, so there will always be the need for another game, and another and another. If this indeed will conclude the saga, I'm a happy man. My brother unfortunately passed away and I don't want to be too sentimental, but when Suzuki was there on the stage and I saw the purple petals fall, I couldn't fight the tears and there's nothing more I would've wanted than for my brother to see an actual Shenmue 3 being announced!
@BertoFlyingFox Shenmue was always planned as a multiple part story. I wouldn't want it to be rushed. If this game puts the franchise back on the map, then maybe we'll get a Shenmue 4 and Shenmue 5.
I don't want to think that far ahead, though!
@Boerewors You have absolutely no idea what you talking about.
Shenmue II was a financial disaster got check the sales data.Have you even see the new related to Shenmue you obviously have not at all.
Kickstarter was the only way to measure the Shenmue franchise potential in the current market. It was either kickstarter or wait years to "try" to convinces publishers which never worked in the past. Money talks louder than words. I donated because I wanted the items they will be very rare and I can sell them for 2x the money I invested in a few years If I ever need to.We pledge because we wanted it to let them hear our passion for this game that changed many peoples opinion of life. It greatly Changed me and influenced me. I love Final Fantasy VII but that is just a game and it never taught me anything meaningful it just a game for entertaiment. But Shenmue is a life experience to me and very personal since I visited the Game locations in real life and that is thanks to Shenmue I own Yu that precious experience in my life.Dreams do come True and I will do anything I can so that we not only get Shenmue III but also get Shenmue IV. More pledgers = more convinced Sega and Sony will be to back Shenmue. Now there is actual living proof with 2 world records. The only reason we don't get faster goal reached record because the kickstarter servers crashed down.
Oh geez, more whining. No games company will fund it, the public have given money to create a small game which is part of the Saga, if anyone was expecting a Witcher 3 sized RPG and the story to be finished from just kickstarter, well, get out and whinge elsewhere.
@renkawa
Lol... The words of a true fan:
"I donated because I wanted the items they will be very rare and I can sell them for 2x the money I invested in a few years If I ever need to."
Boerewors does make good points. I think it's fair to say that mistakes have been made in the way the KS funding campaign has been handled but when it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter in this instance because Shenmue 3 is getting made.
Not a fan of the Neogaf pandering, that place is a terrible hivemind and a cesspool of hatred.
I don't think Sony or Sega was willing to go all in on funding Shenmue 3 without some sort of idea of how we'll it will be received and if it can sell. Shenmue 2 was an unmitigated financial disaster, so this was a risk, but a risk worth taking IMO. Of course the 5 million won't be enough to make the whole game, and auxiliary was probably being a little disingenuous saying it has to hit this mark to have such and such added in. Right or wrong this was purely a marketing ploy to gauge interest in a long dead franchise. Seeing as it has broken the record I have a feeling Sony or Sega will now be willing to fully fund, of course with more control over the direction and final build of the game. So in that sense, yea it abused the essence of what kickstarter is supposed to be, on the other hand we get a game that apparently alot of people wanted. More games is always better my friends!
Lol auto correct, not auxillary, suzuki
I will say that although I want this game to be a masterpiece I will not be getting my hopes up. Not sure if it can live up to the decades old hype and rose tint so many are placing upon it.
With the reality of Shenmue 3 happening during E3, I burst into tears. It's finally happening. I remember thinking that in the past, if I even just had a script of the game, I'd be happy. I welcome whatever comes our way, and for this game to come around and break this record only makes it sweeter. We saved Shenmue.
fantastic news ! l reckon it will reach $6.2million .
Actually just upgraded my pledge to the PS4 physical copy. I feel like this is something I need to be a part of.
I really hope it reaches $6 million!
@Boerewors of course he needs to do a kickstarter. We've waited 14 years and if a company thought it was a financially positive move, sega, Sony, or someone would have bankrolled this in those 14 years. Comments like this are what hurts this kickstarter. If you don't want to pledge then by all means don't pledge, but please don't misinform others as you're only hurting everyone's chance to get the next chapter that we've waited so long for.
With the success this seems to be having for chapter three, we may very well get a conslusion to this epic tale down the road. Sega didn't offer licensing for shenmue one or two so asking for Yu to remaster those along with shenmue 3 simply isn't something he is licensed to do. I'd assume if this is successful sega themselves may give us some remasters of the first two chapters, but at the end of the day it's their decision since they own the license. This is not to pick on your in any way, simply to make sure people have the correct information and don't make a decision based on rumors and another person's opinion.
@renkawa well said renkawa thank you. As I posted earlier, no one was going to fully fund this, that's obvious as it's been so long and didn't happen. To assume Sony could also she'll out millions of dollars on a project that has a very niche fan base is also naive. Kickstarter is the only way we were going to get this and it's hurting the project for the general public to see comments like some of these with negativity and confusion about sony's involvement.
@SonyInfinity kickstarter is a platform for investment, nobody has abused it
Didn't mean for it to come across that way, just that in this specific case IMO it was used more to gauge interest in a dead franchise, not actually fund the entire game. Either way I'm glad it is getting made.
I am a Kickstarter veteran that has backed over 70 video game projects since 2012, and one film. Personally, I'm thankful for crowdfunding simply because most of the games I've backed would have never been made without it. I played Shenmue 1 and 2 way back when, but as time went on and many, many games in between, I had nearly forgotten about the franchise. I played these games with my young nephews at the time and created many great memories. Now 14 years later, I find myself thrilled at the chance to lend my support to a franchise that brought so much joy to my family. My nephews are now adults who are serving in the military, and when I told them about this project it instantly brought back conversations of all the fun we had playing these games back in the day. I honestly believe (and hope) that since this project has received so much support over the coarse of this campaign that Sony will step in and provide the remaining funds to make the game that Ys Net wants to make. In any case, more Shenmue is always a good thing in my book!
@DrJoeystein YES!
As I've said before Shenmue isn't really a series I've ever been into but I'm happy by this news especially given the smear campaign and insane conspiracy theories from the pathetic Xbots and Nintendopes.
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