Deep Silver finally sets a release date for Shenmue 3

Although fans of the Shenmue series can rejoice at the prospect of a third entry, Shenmue 3 has suffered from numerous delays throughout its development. Fortunately, the folks over at Deep Silver can see the end in sight, announcing that the title will finally land on shelves August 27th, 2019.

The announcement comes alongside a brand new trailer, showcasing the environments that a teenage Ryo Hazuki and his companion Ling Shenhua will traverse. Not much is given away in terms of story, but an outlandish prophecy is foretold of Ryo’s strength that could make or break him, while a dragon shall emerge from the Earth and a phoenix from the skies. The trailer also confirms the return of the infamous Lan Di, a recurring antagonist in the series.

Despite Shenmue 3’s successful crowdfunding garnering over $11 million in total, director Yu Suzuki revealed to Eurogamer that it would not be the full conclusion to the story as it would “lose its playability” and become more of a visual novel with the amount needing to be told. Suzuki explaining that Shenmue 3 is “not the final part” could indicate that more sequels will follow providing that Shenmue 3 is a success.

Shenmue 3’s release will approach the series’ 20-year anniversary after the original launched in December, 1999. A sequel followed two years later in September, 2001. Fortunately, Sega has given new and returning players something to keep themselves occupied with for the next year, releasing remasters of Shenmue 1 & 2 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC today, August 21st, 2018 for £24.99/$29.99.

KitGuru Says: Although I can’t say the trailer for Shenmue 3 screams modern graphics, it’s worlds above what was originally showcased. How do you feel about the wait for the next Shenmue instalment? Will you be getting it on release?

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