Shenmue 4 Not Currently in Development, Creator Says

Fans of Shenmue 3 might want to step out of the Shenmue 4 prayer circle. Many expected that it would only be a matter of time until the fourth installment in the long-running series was announced, given how passionate creator Yu Suzuki has always been about Ryo’s story. However, a new interview with IGN Japan is shedding some light on the cold hard reality of the series’ future.

Over the weekend, a Shenmue event was held in Yokosuka, the city in which the series is based. During the event, Suzuki had plenty to say about the series and its recent anime adaptation–but most fans only had one thing on their mind. What’s the deal with Shenmue 4?

The time between Shenmue 2 and Shenmue 3 was a doozy. The second installment was released in 2001, with the third coming in 2019. Shenmue 3 was a project made for fans, Suzuki said, explaining that it was crowdfunded for that very reason. The game recieved positive reviews from long-time lovers of the series, but Suzuki felt that it wasn’t an easy game to jump into for newcomers to the series. If Shenmue 4 ever does come to fruition, the creator wants to make it easier for new fans to step into the game’s world.

In an interview with IGN Japan two years ago, Suzuki shared his belief that Shenmue 4 will happen eventually. During that interview, he also shared that it would be important to make the title appeal to a much wider audience.

“With Shenmue 3, I really responded to the fans’ voices, so I wasn’t necessarily thinking about making any money. But since I’m running a company, I have to think about what can sell if I continue. I’ve been seriously talking about it over and over again,” Suzuki said.

The 2016 Kickstarter campaign for Shenmue 3 was the highest-funded video game Kickstarter in history, raising over $6.3 million.

Shenmue 3 was released in November 2019 for PC and PlayStation 4.

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