After being sold by Sega, the Shenmue saga has been given a new lease of life thanks to developers Yu Suzuki and over 60,000 backers.
Since it’s initial release in 1999, Shenmue was an immediate hit for Sega with many believing that it kick-started the way modern video games have evolved. Utilising an expansive open world, mini-games and even the much loathed quick time event, the Shenmue series is the granddaddy.
Sega decided to sell the series after Shenmue 2 and are surely absolutely kicking themselves right around now. Developers Yu Suzuki had initially requested $2 million, but the current total stands at over $5.4 million with 15 hours to go at time of writing.
Running in the unreal (sorry) Unreal Engine 4, Shenmue 3 is on the brink of video game history. While it won’t be the highest amount a game has ever made overall – that accolade goes to Star Citizen with over $85 million – it will break records for the highest amount donated in the allotted time. A donation of $29 will get you a digital copy and $60 will get you a limited edition physical copy of the game on either PC or PS4.
There has been some concern however that despite the obvious success of Shenmue 3, people who didn’t donate to the project may never be able to buy the physical game. There have been no confirmations from retailers that copies of the game will be stocked so if you fancy a piece of the action, you better get donating.
Mark is the Gaming Editor for UNILAD. Having grown up a gaming addict, he’s been deeply entrenched in culture and spends time away from work playing as much as possible. Mark studied music at University and found a love for journalism through going to local gigs and writing about them for local and national publications.