Shenmue III’s New Publisher Teases The ‘Story Is Far From Over’
ININ Games, the newly-announced publisher of Shenmue III, has teased that the franchise’s ‘story is far from over’ as it sparks hope that the third game may come to other formats now that it’s in charge of distribution.
Speaking on LinkedIn, Dennis Mendel seemed to imply that there’s more coming from the cult franchise than a possible port of Shenmue III to platforms beyond PS4. He noted that it’s not just the fifth anniversary of that game, but also the 25th anniversary of Shenmue, which launched on the Dreamcast in Japan back in late 1999.
Related Content – Upcoming PS5 Games 2024: The Best PS5 Games Coming Soon
This exciting transfer coincides with two momentous milestones: the 25th anniversary of the Shenmue series and the fifth anniversary of Shenmue 3. We have exciting plans to celebrate these anniversaries, ensuring that this beloved series continues to thrive and inspire. Keep an eye out for upcoming announcements as we unveil our vision for the next phase of Shenmue’s legacy.
Let’s make sure that this beloved series continues to thrive and will continue to inspire future generations just as much as it has inspired us who grew up with Dreamcast.
Right now we can only speculate as to what the future of Shenmue may be, although we know that creator Yu Suzuki would love to continue the franchise, providing it is able to expand to a wider audience. ININ Games doesn’t hold the rights to the series however, which remains in the hands of SEGA, so it would have to negotiate a deal if a brand new entry were to happen.
Shenmue came out on Dreamcast in 1999 and at the time was the most expensive video game ever made. The US and EU versions arrived one year later, while Shenmue II arrived late 2001 but was only released in Japan and EU due to the demise of the Dreamcast. The game was ported to Xbox the following year, when US fans were finally able to get their hands on the sequel.
[Source – LinkedIn]
