It’s finally here! Well, it is almost here. After a few different release windows and delays, the long-awaited and thoroughly Kickstarted Shenmue III has a release date. Via a new trailer released for gamescom 2018, publisher Deep Silver has announced that Shenmue III is now slated for August 27, 2019.
In the trailer, titled “The Prophecy,” mysterious Shenmue supporting character Shenhua Ling speaks over a montage of various scenes from the game. We see protagonist Ryo Hazuki, who is continuing his journey to solve the mystery of his father’s death, arrive in China and encounter a few important characters, as Ling recites a prophecy foreshadowing the story’s events.
Shenmue III was originally announced as a Kickstarter project on stage at E3 2015, an unprecedented move afforded to a cult classic series with a lot of clout. Its goal of $2 million was smashed within hours, breaking Kickstarter records and ending at over $6 million. Originally slated for a 2017 release, Shenmue III was delayed twice before receiving today’s release date.
If you’re curious about the Shenmue series but never had a Dreamcast, didn’t own an Xbox, or missed the first two games completely, Sega published a collection of the first two games on modern platforms. Simply titled Shenmue I & II, the package comprises the original games with extra language options, alternative controls, and of course contemporary resolution scaling. It launches today, August 21, 2018, for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
[Source: Deep Silver via YouTube]
