Shenmue III was launched on Kickstarter during Sony’s press conference during E3 in June. Now that Kickstarter is coming to a close, Ys Net has released a new snippet of footage teasing things to come.
It’s short, but oh-so-sweet. Clearly the game is still in very early development, as characters still look stiff and lighting is all over the place. But game development takes time, and with a few coats of polish, it should be looking up-to-date.
As for the Kickstarter, it’s been a resounding success. As of publication, it has passed $5 million. During an AMA on Reddit, creator Yu Suzuki revealed that, “If we reach the $5 mil mark, one of the things I really want to do with Shenmue 3 will become a reality. At $10 million, it will truly have the features of an open world.”
While the Kickstarter is short of $10 million, crowdfunding isn’t the only source of funding for the game. Sony has already said it will help fund and develop Shenmue 3. That being said, it’s still unclear what the budget for the game is or what kind of backing it has outside of the crowdfunding campaign.
Regardless of how much money ends up being raised, there’s no disputing that fans of the series are excited for the final product, which is set to be released in December 2017.
H/T Dual Shockers | Screengrab via Shenmue 3 Official/YouTube