In the report, developer Ys Net confirmed it will instead be using that time to work on the game. However, as consolation of sorts, the company also used the report to unveil a brand-new character for Shenmue 3.
The new character is a gruff-looking, long-haired fellow with suspenders. It’s unclear where he fits into the story, but we get a nice preview of how he will look in-game with some movement demonstrations using his 3D model. The video also includes some of the character’s concept art.
Development on Shemue 3 began nearly two years ago, shortly after the game received its Kickstarter goal of $2 million in just nine hours. It has managed to accumulate over twice as much since then, at one point holding the record for most successful project on Kickstarter history. The additional funds it has garnered will go towards making the game even bigger than originally planned.
After funding goals were ironed out and development was in full swing, tidbits of information eventually began tricking out. Not to mention, a handful of hi-res screenshots and one very short teaser trailer released.
However, what has been released so far has been encouraging. The visuals look to be on par with current generation games and Shenmue 3 was able to wrangle the original game’s director into working on the sequel. At last year’s E3, it was announced that the original voice actor for protagonist Ryo Hazuki will also be returning.
Shenmue 3 is scheduled to launch for PlayStation 4 and PC in winter 2017.
Source: Kickstarter
