Shenmue 3 Already Secured Funding Before Kickstarter, Sega Still Somehow Involved

Ys Net have made some startling, and perhaps perplexing, new revelations about the Kickstarter for Shenmue 3.

The Kickstarter campaign base goal is set at $ 2 million. When asked point blank if this would be sufficient money to make the game, Ys Net confirmed that they would be using the money from the Kickstarter and other funding sources that they have already secured.

Unfortunately, Ys Net says they are not able to disclose the nature of those funding sources due to contractual obligations.

Regarding the nature of their relationship with Sony, Sony confirmed in a separate statement that Ys Net had to make arrangements with Sega to bring the game to Kickstarter, something which Yu Suzuki demanded would happen.

Sony describes themselves as a partner in the game, by way of their third party relations team. While it is certainly possible that Sony themselves funded some or most of the game, the arrangement seems to be that Ys Net is still in charge of the game and Sega still owns the Shenmue trademark.

Perhaps this arrangement also explains why the campaign’s FAQ page indicates ports to Xbox One and even Wii U are not entirely out of the question. It seems, ultimately, if Sega hadn’t been dealing with issues with their financials that they would have greenlit and funded this project themselves.

It seems Ys Net and Yu Suzuki, unfortunately, have not been as forthcoming regarding the crowdfund as they should be. Do you think they should reveal these mystery backers? What else do you think Ys Net should address as well? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.