Ever wish you could get your hands on a third entry into the Shenmue franchise? Well, you might just be in luck. A tweet published by Sebstian-Abdelhamid claims that legendary game developer Yu Suzuki wants to crowdsource Shenmue 3. Sebastian works in French TV and is part of the Monaco Anime Game Show, so his credentials speak for themselves.
The tweet is published in French – as expected – but reads, “Yu Suzuki just said that he is thinking about a Kickstarter to fund the Shenmue 3 developement ! #MAGS”
Yu Suzuki déclare penser au Crownfunding type Kickstarter pour financer Shenmue 3 !#MAGS
— Sebastien-Abdelhamid (@SAbdelhamid) March 3, 2013
Given the success of other Kickstarters such as Wasteland 2 by inXile Entertainment and Double Fine’s adventure title, we’re betting that if this does happen, it will more than likely be the largest success in video game crowdsourcing yet. Fans have been awaiting a return to the open-world of Shenmue since the series’ second iteration in 2001. This was when the first Lord of the Rings movie came out, for reference. Feel old yet?
Perhaps the greatest sacrilege that was made can be found in the fact that Shenmue was supposed to be a trilogy. While circumstances surrounding the cancellation of development are unclear, many believe that SEGA didn’t want to or couldn’t fund its development. The Dreamcast’s failing may have contributed to this sort of thinking, but that is simply speculation.
We’re extremely excited to hear about anything related to Shenmue. The series is long due for a conclusion, and given the time in between iterations, maybe Suzuki has different plans for the franchise.
How much would you pay towards a crowdsourced effort towards Shenmue 3? Let us know in the comments section below and voice your support!
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