Update []:
The incredible Shenmue 4 trailer which befuddled fans last week was a fake, despite it featuring a wealth of narrative development.
The four-minute clip – clearly created by a superfan – has been sniped by studio YS Net, who says it has “absolutely no connection” to the developer. It’s now threatening legal action against the perpetrator.
“We recognise that the unauthorised use of our logo, and any act that misleads viewers into believing such content is official, constitutes a serious issue that may amount to trademark infringement and unfair competition,” its statement reads.
“We sincerely apologise to our fans and all related parties for any confusion this may have caused.”
It’s perhaps worth noting here that YS Net doesn’t actually own the Shenmue IP, and therefore it may have received a confused phone call from SEGA when this video emerged, which its statement appears to allude to.
But the bigger issue here is the disappointment this may have caused fans.
While this was always the likeliest outcome, whoever made the trailer clearly had a deep and intimate knowledge of Shenmue lore. To mislead fans desperate to see Ryo’s story continue is just cruel as far as we’re concerned.
Original Story: Don’t play with our emotions like this. Seriously, this is cruel.
Just where the hell did this shaky off-screen Shenmue 4 trailer come from, and is it AI? Well, it doesn’t entirely look like it to us, but you can’t be too sure these days.
The trailer, for fans of the classic SEGA franchise, is pretty incredible with tons of narrative development. It clearly shows protagonist Ryo Hazuki in China alongside long-time allies Ren and Shenhua.
We get a glimpse of seductress Niao Sun, who famously featured in the original game’s concept art, but didn’t appear until Shenmue 3.
The video teases a variety of minigames, from mundane activities like dishwashing, through to a Street Fighter-style arcade cabinet named Shenmue Fighters. It also looks like you’ll be able to buy and wear different outfits. Surely this isn’t AI?
There is a flashback scene towards the end of the trailer which looks suspicious, but other than that this all looks consistent with the tech Ys Net built for Shenmue 3.
The copyright information at the bottom notes that this is a work in progress and, if real, that creator Yu Suzuki’s company is once again licensing the franchise from SEGA.
The trailer first appeared on a random YouTube account which has previously uploaded Astro Bot and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree gameplay videos. It has six subscribers.
But we’re not sure what to think. It looks good, amazing even – exactly what we’d want from a new Shenmue game. But is it real? We’ve sent out some questions and will update when we know more.