The long-awaited Shenmue 3 from acclaimed director Yu Suzuki is on its way. Developer Ys Net has been working on the sequel to 2001’s Shenmue 2 after announcing the game at E3 2015. Unlike previous games in the series, Shenmue 3 is being published by Deep Silver—Suzuki and Ys Net licensed the property from Sega. Sega published the earlier Shenmue games, and the recent re-release of Shenmue 1 & 2 on PS4, PC, and Xbox One. Below we have all the info you need on the Shenmue 3 release date, news, rumors, gameplay, multiplayer, and more.
The Shenmue series follows Ryo Hazuki as he tries to avenge his father’s death in 1980s China. The first two games in the series were some of the first with open-world aspects, and put players firmly into the schedule and shoes of Ryo. This game looks to be following in those footsteps with a rich world full of interesting characters to push the story along.
Shenmue 3 Release Date: When Will Shenmue 3 be Released?
Years of speculation were met with resounding surprise and enthusiasm when Suzuki announced a Kickstarter for the game at the Playstation press conference during E3 2015. That reveal did not have a release date attached, and for several years later the developer was coy about when the game was releasing. Deep Silver had originally planned to release the game in December 2017, then delaying it into the latter half of 2018. Shenmue 3 was delayed one more time but now has a release date set.
Shenmue 3 will release on August 27, 2019. Deep Silver and Ys Net released a small statement when the delay and release date were announced in August. At the time they said, “the extra time will be used to polish the quality of the game even further, to the high standards it deserves and release the product in the best possible timeframe.”
Shenmue 3 News
Besides the release date, some other news about Shenmue 3 have been coming out recently. Of course the release of Shenmue 1 & 2 on modern systems has brought the series back into the spotlight. Some aspects have aged better than others, although fans are still properly excited for the game. It has been nearly two decades since Shenmue 2 launched.
Shenmue 3 will be one of the biggest games ever — at least in terms of file size. It was revealed that it will require around 100GB of storage when it releases, and that number could likely increase. The game is larger than The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, and The Elder Scrolls Online.
Shenmue 3 hit its $7 million stretch goal back in July. That goal came through the game’s extended “Slacker Backer” campaign that has allowed people to donate to the development after the original Kickstarter ended. That goal brings the Toy Capsule Box Set now, and new features for the battle system.
Shenmue 3 Rumors
Ys Net and director Suzuki have been relatively tight-lipped about the game, at least in regards to features. There have been rumors swirling that Shenmue 3 may come to the Nintendo Switch, as Unreal Engine — the game engine it is being built in — has had substantial success on the console in the form of Fortnite: Battle Royale.
Shenmue 3 Platforms: Will Shenmue 3 Come to Switch?
Shenmue 3 was announced at a PlayStation event, but it isn’t exclusive to the PS4. The game is currently announced for Windows and PS4. That doesn’t mean it can’t come to other systems, although Sony is entwined in the production and marketing of the title. While it is distinctly not a Sony published game, Shenmue 3 will have more hoops to jump through to get to other platforms.
The collection of Shenmue 1 & 2 came to the Xbox One, alongside the aforementioned systems, so it is possible that Deep Silver is looking to bring Shenmue 3 to the Microsoft console. Shenmue has a history on Microsoft consoles with Shenmue 2 releasing on the original Xbox in 2002, a year after the Dreamcast version.
We don’t have any word yet on whether or not Shenmue 3 Switch Edition will be a thing. It’s likely that even if plans to developer to release the game on Nintendo Switch it’ll be after the initial launch.
Shenmue 3 Trailers and Teasers
The most recent trailer for the game came during Gamescom 2018. The Gamescom 2018 trailer has narration talking about Ryo’s destiny. Ys Net and Deep Silver announced the release date with that trailer.
One other major trailer has been released for the game — the “1st Teaser” as it is called. This trailer received backlash for the lack of facial animations for characters, although Yu Suzuki said it was still early in development and that the team was still working on character animations. The trailer showed many character and environment shots, and the game’s vivid presentation is on full display.
Will Shenmue 3 Have Multiplayer?
No, the game has no planned multiplayer. It is unlikely that developer Ys Net will add any multiplayer, not even a battle royale mode.
