Shenmue 3 Funding has Concluded

Video games take a while to develop. Sometimes longer than game enthusiasts are happy with. After several years in development, fans start to say "will it EVER be done?" Fortunately for some Shenmue 3 is nearly complete as funding closes.

Announced during E3 2015, Shenmue 3 was primarily funded via their Kickstarter campaign, with Ys Net direct crowdfunding assisting this. While the Kickstarter closed last September, only now do we know the final result of backers and funding.

According to Ys Net, the full project received 81,087 backers, providing $7,179,510 in funding. Most of this (69,320 backers pledging $6,333,295) came from Kickstarter, with the rest from the direct website.

Shenmue began in 1999 when the first game released for the Sega Dreamcast. It was the most expensive video game ever developed at the time, with an estimated production and marketing cost of US$47 to $70 million. Despite its success, the high cost technically made it a commercial failure with a cult following. The story follows Ryo Hazuki, a young martial artist looking for the man who killed his father in 1980s Japan and China.

Currently, Shenmue 3 is planned for release on August 27, 2019. It will be available for PS4 and PC.