It's not happening, people need to realise this. Sega spent $100 million to produce 2 games (Shenmue 1 and 2). The series then went on to sell disastrously (helped by the DCs poor sales). Shenmue nearly bankrupted Sega.
For Sega to make Shenmue they'd have to allocate about a $50 million development fund (to do it justice), for a game that only has cult interest.
Why would Sega spend $50 million on a high risk game like Shenmue 3, when they know they can make a Monkey Ball or Sonic game for $5-10 million that is almost certainly going to make them money.
It's not happening, people need to realise this. Sega spent $100 million to produce 2 games (Shenmue 1 and 2). The series then went on to sell disastrously (helped by the DCs poor sales). Shenmue nearly bankrupted Sega.
For Sega to make Shenmue they'd have to allocate about a $50 million development fund (to do it justice), for a game that only has cult interest.
Why would Sega spend $50 million on a high risk game like Shenmue 3, when they know they can make a Monkey Ball or Sonic game for $5-10 million that is almost certainly going to make them money.
The differences are that it was developed for a dying platform - the Dreamcast - and that porting a sequel of a niche franchise to Xbox wasn't going to boost sales either. Also, what Shenmue achieved back then in terms of production value and the size of the world is common place in games today. A sequel doesn't need to exceed the standards set by the first games, just continue them. If Sega are smart enough to develop it the right way then it could easily perform, especially if it was download only to keep costs down.
The differences are that it was developed for a dying platform - the Dreamcast - and that porting a sequel of a niche franchise to Xbox wasn't going to boost sales either. Also, what Shenmue achieved back then in terms of production value and the size of the world is common place in games today. A sequel doesn't need to exceed the standards set by the first games, just continue them. If Sega are smart enough to develop it the right way then it could easily perform, especially if it was download only to keep costs down.
I respectfully disagree. Although we are both on the same page in that it's a game we want to see come back.
Shenmue is a big game,a big series. It needs to be done with a high degree of expense to be done properly. And the people wanting Shenmue 3 would want it done properly. If shenmue 3 gets made i'd want it to be a blockbuster game, not a 'straight to video/on the cheap' version. To try and make it a DL speaks to me that it would be watered down to the point it wasn't shenmue (In the way 'Nights' on the Wii was done so half heartedly it doesn't resemble the proper 'Nights').
The Shenmue fans would be happy with a sequel that was little different in style, but your average gamer wouldn't. Why would gamers want to play a sandbox adventure game based on out of date mechanics when they can buy GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed etc.
90% of gamers haven't played Shenmue. If Sega made Shenmue 3 they'd have to convince people to buy the third game in a series where they haven't played parts 1&2 of the story. To get round this they could bundle 1&2 as extras, but can you see your average 19 year old American kid being happy to play two games from circa 10 years ago (to them the game will seem ancient), to be able to get to the 3rd game. Sadly these types of gamers are who Sega need to convince to buy the game if it's going to be a success. That's why Shenmue 3 is unlikleiy it's a game with a cult fanbase that needs mainstream success
It's all very well having a couple of hundred thousand Shenmue fans worldwide promising to buy it and making a big noise about it onmessageboards, but if the game has a profit point of 1 million sales, then really it doesn't mean very much.
Besides Sega already have a flagship series 'Yakuza'. That series is a confirmed success, and with some certainty they know its going to do well. Shenmue 3 commercially is too much of a risk.
There is a chance a proper Shenmue 3 could be made but not 100% by Sega. If Sega got another partner onboard or had one of the console manufacturers put up a big contract to make it an exclusive, it could work. But somehow i think thats doubtful, although I keep my fingers crossed.
I want the game back too, but some times you need to take off nostalgia glasses and look at cold reality fact and economics. I want to be wrong, but Shenmue 3 isn't looking likely anytime soon.
Ironically, ever since hitting cult status, Shenmue has never been more popular, so really, SEGA, listen up (which you never do) and just port Shenmue 1 and 2 to PS3/Xbox 360 and even do a PC really on Steam and just let the money roll in from that until you have enough to justify doing Shenmue 3!!!
I've never played a Shenmue game, in fact I have no idea what genre they are, but I am aware that they have a loyal following.
IMHO Sega would be wise to test the water and release the first 2 as an HD "Collection" in the mould of God of War or the forthcoming Ico/SOTC set, that was they can see if enough people are interested enough to fork out on developing a third game.
As much as I loved the first two games, the first being my favourite game of all time, it isn't going to happen. As stated above Sega just don't have the funds to create any new games. Incidental, I hope they put both games on PSN as I'll rebuy both.
I respectfully disagree. Although we are both on the same page in that it's a game we want to see come back.
Shenmue is a big game,a big series. It needs to be done with a high degree of expense to be done properly. And the people wanting Shenmue 3 would want it done properly. If shenmue 3 gets made i'd want it to be a blockbuster game, not a 'straight to video/on the cheap' version. To try and make it a DL speaks to me that it would be watered down to the point it wasn't shenmue (In the way 'Nights' on the Wii was done so half heartedly it doesn't resemble the proper 'Nights').
The Shenmue fans would be happy with a sequel that was little different in style, but your average gamer wouldn't. Why would gamers want to play a sandbox adventure game based on out of date mechanics when they can buy GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed etc.
90% of gamers haven't played Shenmue. If Sega made Shenmue 3 they'd have to convince people to buy the third game in a series where they haven't played parts 1&2 of the story. To get round this they could bundle 1&2 as extras, but can you see your average 19 year old American kid being happy to play two games from circa 10 years ago (to them the game will seem ancient), to be able to get to the 3rd game. Sadly these types of gamers are who Sega need to convince to buy the game if it's going to be a success. That's why Shenmue 3 is unlikleiy it's a game with a cult fanbase that needs mainstream success
It's all very well having a couple of hundred thousand Shenmue fans worldwide promising to buy it and making a big noise about it onmessageboards, but if the game has a profit point of 1 million sales, then really it doesn't mean very much.
Besides Sega already have a flagship series 'Yakuza'. That series is a confirmed success, and with some certainty they know its going to do well. Shenmue 3 commercially is too much of a risk.
There is a chance a proper Shenmue 3 could be made but not 100% by Sega. If Sega got another partner onboard or had one of the console manufacturers put up a big contract to make it an exclusive, it could work. But somehow i think thats doubtful, although I keep my fingers crossed.
I want the game back too, but some times you need to take off nostalgia glasses and look at cold reality fact and economics. I want to be wrong, but Shenmue 3 isn't looking likely anytime soon.
Very good points, actually. I agree. I can't see Sega bringing back the franchise as it was, or at least to make it at current openworld game standards to update the franchise. It's a risk.
The only way I can see it working if they release the third game with the same engine and tech as the first two to keep in the same style and keep costs down, and release it as a trilogy release at a budget price or download. But as you say, it's mainly something to keep fans happy - is it really worth the hassle? And look at Sonic 4 - arguably difficult to mess up but it's still not to many people's tastes, but everyone wanted a new 2D Sonic game. I'm sure whatever they do at this point will upset fans.
Very good points, actually. I agree. I can't see Sega bringing back the franchise as it was, or at least to make it at current openworld game standards to update the franchise. It's a risk.
The only way I can see it working if they release the third game with the same engine and tech as the first two to keep in the same style and keep costs down, and release it as a trilogy release at a budget price or download. But as you say, it's mainly something to keep fans happy - is it really worth the hassle? And look at Sonic 4 - arguably difficult to mess up but it's still not to many people's tastes, but everyone wanted a new 2D Sonic game. I'm sure whatever they do at this point will upset fans.
Difficult to see what they can do, then. =/
3DS might be a good option it has a lot of processing power (it can run a 3d-fied version of Metal Gear Solid 3) but wouldn't need a gargantuan development budget.
"The series then went on to sell disastrously..." Excuse me! FACT: "Failed" Shenmue sold over 1 million copies worldwide. Don't believe that figure, laugh it off, whatever. The simple brutal truth is Shenmue sold 1 million+ copies. Still don't believe me? Look on the list of all time best selling games Shenmue's on there. Do some sodding research before you mouth off.
Sega actually spent $70million on Shenmue. The money wasn't just spent on one game but the 2nd one and further games that we never saw. We know there are further unreleased bits of Shenmue because in Sega's promo material there are entire sections all rendered in Dreamcast graphics. Somebody hacked Shenmue 2 and there's actually an entire Chinese village on the disk that you can walk through (no audio or plotting though) that many speculate was where Ryo goes next.
The idea was Sega would make their money back by making multiple instalments. What killed the series off literally was the death of the Dreamcast. When it moved to X-box Shenmue 2 didn't sell as X-box fans in their wisdom preferred their mass ranks of derivative 1st person shooters. Neither Sony or Nintendo wanted to throw the series a lifeline. With weak sales of the 2nd game and no natural home or mass market audience for the title it then died. Simple.
Since then lots of A*hole Sega hating games mags have done a wonderful job at conning people such as yourself and children that it was always a failure and Sega smell of wee and if you like Sega you smell of wee too. Of course when Nintendo bring a underpowered console out called Wii that costs more the an X-box 360 that's really cool, but Sega uuuurrrghh they are Sh-iit.
I put that little dig in at the Wii Wii because haters always ridicule Sega consoles as been supposedly less powerful and make that out to be a reason for their failure. Its amazing non of the same journos ever had a problem with the Wii or any other Nintendo machine, I wonder why...
As for your comment that Shenmue alone bankrupted Sega I think the fact that Sega lost something approaching a Billion+ US dollars on the Dreamcast (that's the cost of hardware etc) had more to do with their collapse than the "failure" of one 1 million+ selling game.
Anyway it doesn't make any difference because the modern games playing nerd retardz just wants to play 1st person shooters where you shoot army men, aliens or zombies and there is lots of swearing and gore because that makes it darker and more (im)mature. Shenmue doesn't do this, nor is Ryo a bald Space Marine so its therefore "outdated" and not worth playing to these enlightened people. The end.
Anyhow, shenmue wont happen, or if it does, the series wont be done the justice the fans would want. The yakuza series is the modern day shenmue, and though it is one of the big hitting series in japan, the games have sold crap in the west. I would also want the series finished by AM2, and that will never happen, sega want them making arcade games, where they have always been kings
"The series then went on to sell disastrously..." Excuse me! FACT: "Failed" Shenmue sold over 1 million copies worldwide. Don't believe that figure, laugh it off, whatever. The simple brutal truth is Shenmue sold 1 million+ copies. Still don't believe me? Look on the list of all time best selling games Shenmue's on there. Do some sodding research before you mouth off.
I'm not going to reply to you fully on the grounds of you being a nutcase (Smell of wee??? retardz??? A-holes??), but I'll lift a portion of the Wiki entry for Shenmue subsection 'Sales
''Considering the high production costs and high critical praise, Shenmue experienced disappointing sales. According to IGN, the game, which cost an unprecedented $70 million to make,[14] would have had to be purchased twice by every single Dreamcast owner in order for Sega to turn a profit. The 70 million investment presumably included the budget for the resources for additional sequels.[citation needed]''
When you have a development budget of $70 million it pushes the profit threshold up massively. It doesn't mater a jot it sold 1 million, when it needed 2.0-3.0 million million to cut even a modest profit. When a title sells 50% of it's profit margin threshold it's sold disastrously. It's tanked. Granted it wasn't the games' fault (it was the lack of DC owners).
But besides interpreting sales figures is beside the point. The point is Sega lost several million from the Shenmue project.
Also I didn't claim Shenmue alone bankrupted Sega. But DC + the Shenmue saga failure= the near bankrupting of Sega, after the failure of the Mega CD and 32X started their woes.
I've never played Shenmue but I've read a lot about its cult following. It is possible that members of the original team have moved on, making it hard to pick up where they left off. The new game's faithfulness to the original could be compromised in order to compete with other popular series. Better to retain fond memories of the two existing games than to risk tarnishing the story with an unsuccessful third instalment.
I'm a massive, massive fan of the game. It's a pivotal title for me (though I understand not everyone feels the same way), but even I know there's never going to be a third game. Never.
I loved shenmue..i would like to know what happens, its two thirds of a story at the mo..they should complete it
Its like if peter jackson decided he wasnt going to make return of the king
Yep feel very betrayed by sega not a sequel I have completed both games many many times and just want a third. I just don't see them doing it. How did the series sell ?
I would love it to happen to finally finish to story off it's a shame it hasn't happened. I really enjoyed the first 2 in the series can't see it any time soon though.
It's not happening, people need to realise this. Sega spent $100 million to produce 2 games (Shenmue 1 and 2). The series then went on to sell disastrously (helped by the DCs poor sales). Shenmue nearly bankrupted Sega.
For Sega to make Shenmue they'd have to allocate about a $50 million development fund (to do it justice), for a game that only has cult interest.
Why would Sega spend $50 million on a high risk game like Shenmue 3, when they know they can make a Monkey Ball or Sonic game for $5-10 million that is almost certainly going to make them money.
I wouldn't rule it out. The Dreamcast was already doomed through lack of support, piracy and the reputation Sega had built for ditching consoles amoung other reasos. The DC was doomed from the start to be honest.
However Shenmue 3 on the PS3 nad 360 it would be a very different story. Both have the support and backing of MS and Sony and are not doomed. MS have stood by 360 through all its hardware problems for one thing. Shenmue 3 would be pretty safe on both platforms.
Any game made is a risk cos you just dunno how its gonna be received. Unless you slap the Call of Duty name on it
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For Sega to make Shenmue they'd have to allocate about a $50 million development fund (to do it justice), for a game that only has cult interest.
Why would Sega spend $50 million on a high risk game like Shenmue 3, when they know they can make a Monkey Ball or Sonic game for $5-10 million that is almost certainly going to make them money.
The differences are that it was developed for a dying platform - the Dreamcast - and that porting a sequel of a niche franchise to Xbox wasn't going to boost sales either. Also, what Shenmue achieved back then in terms of production value and the size of the world is common place in games today. A sequel doesn't need to exceed the standards set by the first games, just continue them. If Sega are smart enough to develop it the right way then it could easily perform, especially if it was download only to keep costs down.
I respectfully disagree. Although we are both on the same page in that it's a game we want to see come back.
Shenmue is a big game,a big series. It needs to be done with a high degree of expense to be done properly. And the people wanting Shenmue 3 would want it done properly. If shenmue 3 gets made i'd want it to be a blockbuster game, not a 'straight to video/on the cheap' version. To try and make it a DL speaks to me that it would be watered down to the point it wasn't shenmue (In the way 'Nights' on the Wii was done so half heartedly it doesn't resemble the proper 'Nights').
The Shenmue fans would be happy with a sequel that was little different in style, but your average gamer wouldn't. Why would gamers want to play a sandbox adventure game based on out of date mechanics when they can buy GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed etc.
90% of gamers haven't played Shenmue. If Sega made Shenmue 3 they'd have to convince people to buy the third game in a series where they haven't played parts 1&2 of the story. To get round this they could bundle 1&2 as extras, but can you see your average 19 year old American kid being happy to play two games from circa 10 years ago (to them the game will seem ancient), to be able to get to the 3rd game. Sadly these types of gamers are who Sega need to convince to buy the game if it's going to be a success. That's why Shenmue 3 is unlikleiy it's a game with a cult fanbase that needs mainstream success
It's all very well having a couple of hundred thousand Shenmue fans worldwide promising to buy it and making a big noise about it onmessageboards, but if the game has a profit point of 1 million sales, then really it doesn't mean very much.
Besides Sega already have a flagship series 'Yakuza'. That series is a confirmed success, and with some certainty they know its going to do well. Shenmue 3 commercially is too much of a risk.
There is a chance a proper Shenmue 3 could be made but not 100% by Sega. If Sega got another partner onboard or had one of the console manufacturers put up a big contract to make it an exclusive, it could work. But somehow i think thats doubtful, although I keep my fingers crossed.
I want the game back too, but some times you need to take off nostalgia glasses and look at cold reality fact and economics. I want to be wrong, but Shenmue 3 isn't looking likely anytime soon.
IMHO Sega would be wise to test the water and release the first 2 as an HD "Collection" in the mould of God of War or the forthcoming Ico/SOTC set, that was they can see if enough people are interested enough to fork out on developing a third game.
Very good points, actually. I agree. I can't see Sega bringing back the franchise as it was, or at least to make it at current openworld game standards to update the franchise. It's a risk.
The only way I can see it working if they release the third game with the same engine and tech as the first two to keep in the same style and keep costs down, and release it as a trilogy release at a budget price or download. But as you say, it's mainly something to keep fans happy - is it really worth the hassle? And look at Sonic 4 - arguably difficult to mess up but it's still not to many people's tastes, but everyone wanted a new 2D Sonic game. I'm sure whatever they do at this point will upset fans.
Difficult to see what they can do, then. =/
3DS might be a good option it has a lot of processing power (it can run a 3d-fied version of Metal Gear Solid 3) but wouldn't need a gargantuan development budget.
Sega actually spent $70million on Shenmue. The money wasn't just spent on one game but the 2nd one and further games that we never saw. We know there are further unreleased bits of Shenmue because in Sega's promo material there are entire sections all rendered in Dreamcast graphics. Somebody hacked Shenmue 2 and there's actually an entire Chinese village on the disk that you can walk through (no audio or plotting though) that many speculate was where Ryo goes next.
The idea was Sega would make their money back by making multiple instalments. What killed the series off literally was the death of the Dreamcast. When it moved to X-box Shenmue 2 didn't sell as X-box fans in their wisdom preferred their mass ranks of derivative 1st person shooters. Neither Sony or Nintendo wanted to throw the series a lifeline. With weak sales of the 2nd game and no natural home or mass market audience for the title it then died. Simple.
Since then lots of A*hole Sega hating games mags have done a wonderful job at conning people such as yourself and children that it was always a failure and Sega smell of wee and if you like Sega you smell of wee too. Of course when Nintendo bring a underpowered console out called Wii that costs more the an X-box 360 that's really cool, but Sega uuuurrrghh they are Sh-iit.
I put that little dig in at the Wii Wii because haters always ridicule Sega consoles as been supposedly less powerful and make that out to be a reason for their failure. Its amazing non of the same journos ever had a problem with the Wii or any other Nintendo machine, I wonder why...
As for your comment that Shenmue alone bankrupted Sega I think the fact that Sega lost something approaching a Billion+ US dollars on the Dreamcast (that's the cost of hardware etc) had more to do with their collapse than the "failure" of one 1 million+ selling game.
Anyway it doesn't make any difference because the modern games playing nerd retardz just wants to play 1st person shooters where you shoot army men, aliens or zombies and there is lots of swearing and gore because that makes it darker and more (im)mature. Shenmue doesn't do this, nor is Ryo a bald Space Marine so its therefore "outdated" and not worth playing to these enlightened people. The end.
I'm not going to reply to you fully on the grounds of you being a nutcase (Smell of wee??? retardz??? A-holes??), but I'll lift a portion of the Wiki entry for Shenmue subsection 'Sales
''Considering the high production costs and high critical praise, Shenmue experienced disappointing sales. According to IGN, the game, which cost an unprecedented $70 million to make,[14] would have had to be purchased twice by every single Dreamcast owner in order for Sega to turn a profit. The 70 million investment presumably included the budget for the resources for additional sequels.[citation needed]''
When you have a development budget of $70 million it pushes the profit threshold up massively. It doesn't mater a jot it sold 1 million, when it needed 2.0-3.0 million million to cut even a modest profit. When a title sells 50% of it's profit margin threshold it's sold disastrously. It's tanked. Granted it wasn't the games' fault (it was the lack of DC owners).
But besides interpreting sales figures is beside the point. The point is Sega lost several million from the Shenmue project.
Also I didn't claim Shenmue alone bankrupted Sega. But DC + the Shenmue saga failure= the near bankrupting of Sega, after the failure of the Mega CD and 32X started their woes.
/shakes head
I'm a massive, massive fan of the game. It's a pivotal title for me (though I understand not everyone feels the same way), but even I know there's never going to be a third game. Never.
The end.
Its like if peter jackson decided he wasnt going to make return of the king
Yep feel very betrayed by sega not a sequel I have completed both games many many times and just want a third. I just don't see them doing it. How did the series sell ?
'We can obtain license from Sega' says Yu Suzuki
I will
I wouldn't rule it out. The Dreamcast was already doomed through lack of support, piracy and the reputation Sega had built for ditching consoles amoung other reasos. The DC was doomed from the start to be honest.
However Shenmue 3 on the PS3 nad 360 it would be a very different story. Both have the support and backing of MS and Sony and are not doomed. MS have stood by 360 through all its hardware problems for one thing. Shenmue 3 would be pretty safe on both platforms.
Any game made is a risk cos you just dunno how its gonna be received. Unless you slap the Call of Duty name on it