Shenmue 3 has had quite an interesting and rocky development period over the last 10 years, and it seems this is set to continue for a little while longer as the title has been delayed by a few more months.
The title was expected to be released on August 27, 2019, but in an update on the games Kickstarter page, series creator Yu Suzuki informed backers that the planned release has now been pushed back until November 19, 2019.
Yu explained on the official update, which you can view here, that “whilst almost ready, the game simply needs a little more refinement before being truly finished.” Yu went on to explain that “We feel that the extra time we have will help us deliver the true Shenmue experience players around the world deserve!”
Whilst it is certainly a negative for fans to have to wait longer before being able to play the title, I have always admired developers who create their titles with such passion, and would rather delay the game to perfect it than rush out an inferior and unpolished version for a quick money grab.
Shenmue 3 was first announced back in 2015 and was largely funded by eager fans on the popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter. Shenmue 3’s Kickstarter campaign became the most funded video game on the site, reaching around $6.3 million USD.
This sequel has been eagerly anticipated by fans, as evident by the huge success of the Kickstarter campaign, with the last title in the series, Shenmue 2, being released all the way back in 2001 on the Dreamcast, with an enhanced port released for the Xbox in 2002
Are you excited for Shenmue 3? Do you mind waiting a little longer for a hopefully better experience? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Checkpoint on Facebook for all the latest updates.
About the Author
Justin White
He/Him
Justin is known for being the clown of any group and has spent his entire life playing and collecting video games. When he is not playing video games he is usually hanging out with his two American Staffies named Django and King (after Django Unchained characters) or his son Shia (yes, after Shia Labeouf).
