After what felt like eons of being stuck in development hell, Shenmue III finally hit the store shelves. This game has had a cult following for years with the first two titles being one of the more treasured video game titles of its time despite being a commercial failure. Years later Yu Suzuki, series creator, unveiled Shenmue III during an E3 conference in 2015. Seeking help from the fans, the development team was able to fund the game production where players will follow Ryo Hazuki as he searches for his father’s killer.
The game first hit the market back in 2019 for the PC and PlayStation 4 platforms. It’s still the single-player adventure game and it’s likely we may see this story continue on. However, those of you who wanted to enjoy this game through Steam were left out of luck. While initially slated to launch for the Steam client, Ys Net had since turned this game into an Epic Games Store exclusive. This made players go through the Epic Games Store marketplace until the time exclusive deal came to an end. That exclusive deal is finally coming to an end which means we can expect Shenmue 3 to hit the Steam marketplace.
Shenmue 3 will be available for the Valve Steam marketplace starting on November 19, 2020. Furthermore, those that backed the game through Kickstarter will find that they will receive various in-game rewards and content if they opted to for a Steam version of the game code. Fortunately, for several gamers out there, the wait is finally going to come towards an end.
As mentioned, Shenmue 3 is already available on the PC and PlayStation 4 platforms. If you haven’t picked up a copy or if you’re uncertain if the game is for you then check out our Before You Buy episode upload below. We go over the game and offer some of our thoughts on the title.