I doubt it's large enough to make Shenmue 3 a viable financial risk.

The reason that Shenmue failed to turn a profit for Sega had nothing to do with it's budget and everything to do with the limitations of the Dreamcast.

Shenmue sold over 1.2m copies on a console which sold little over 10m units. That equates to more than 10% of Dreamcast owners purchasing the game. Had the game been released on a more successful consoles it could have potentially broken records.

Let's say, for example, that Shenmue had been a launch title on the PS2 instead of a Dreamcast game. The PS2 sold over 155m units over it's lifespan and so taking our 12% sales per console figure we're looking at around 18.6m copies sold - which would have beaten GTA San Andreas' 17.33m sales and made it the best selling game on the PS2 (Considering GTA SA was the sixth game in a hugely successful franchise - that's pretty damn impressive for an new ip). Add in the fact that the better launch games tend to get a boost in sales due to the limited variety available at launch as well as the exponential growth in sales through word of mouth - and Shenmue could have easily sold 20m+ units on PS2.

Had it not been released on a dying/dead console (or not released at all in the case of the US) I've no doubt Shenmue 2 would have outsold the original due to several areas being drastically improved (the GTA series has shown a steady increase in sales per release as gameplay has improved) and so it's entirely possible that the games would have clocked in 45m+ sales which would have equated to about $1 development and marketing costs per copy sold and in turn - HUGE profits.

Of course this is all hypothetical and there are plenty of arguments to be made and flaws in my logic - but I'm positive that had it been available to a wider audience rather than just Dreamcast owners - Shenmue would have been a commercial success (at least 18m copies between the two games). Given the capability of modern consoles, the drive and passion of Yu Suziki and the innovative nature of the series - a reboot would be hugely successful (unless it's on the Wii U, of course).

The original game sold about 1 million copies and that was 15 years ago, many of the people who played it back then have probably stopped playing games altogether now.

That may be true but it was also for a console that reportedly sold 10-15 million units total. The PS4 alone has already sold that many units and has many good years ahead. In addition, most games that sell 1 million copies would be overwhelmingly successful with a sequel greenlit immediately. Forget Shenmue III for a minute, an HD re-release that sold a few hundred thousand copies/downloads would be very profitable.

- 2 million is the bare minimum for the game to exist, and if that was all they got, it would just be focused on the story. The more money it gets, the more of the things he wants to do will be possible.

- As far as money goes, he expects the game's investment will primarily come from individual backers, so he wants them all to be happy with the finished product. Doesn't sound like Sony and others are giving them all THAT much.

We have so many people on the kickstarter and on GAF saying that Sony is going to drop loads of money on the game and the kickstarter was just there to find out if people are interested. These 2 comments prove that this is all rubbish and that the kickstarter is super super important.

We have to get this out there!

"Shenmue will be produced using both the funds raised from the Kickstarter and through other funding sources already secured by Ys Net Inc. We are very sorry, but due to contractual obligations, details of outside investments will not be disclosed."

If $2 million is all that was needed for the game to exist then who are these funding sources already secured?

As you said, we have no idea who these investors are, and how much funding they are providing but if Yu says that the Kickstarter is going to be the main force, then it really can't be that much.

In the best possible situation we could raise like 15 million max, (but looks like its going to be lower) so if we are the driving force the other investors are going to be lower than that...

People really need to understand the importance of the kickstarter, and more importantly need to stop with this "I'm backing $29 because there is no Physical PS4 version". I really don't understand how people can want a game for 14 years, and then be willing to be so stingy with their pledge, which will inturn make the game suffer.

People, use the kickstarter as a way to make the game you have always wanted, let Yu create his full vision for the game. Sort out what your going to play it on later, 2 years from now when its out... Lets just get this game made to the full extent! Please!

People really need to understand the importance of the kickstarter, and more importantly need to stop with this "I'm backing $29 because there is no Physical PS4 version". I really don't understand how people can want a game for 14 years, and then be willing to be so stingy with their pledge, which will inturn make the game suffer.



This... so MUCH!

I really hope Yu said they were considering multiplayer/co-op just to be polite. That would be a bit of a waste of resources in my opinion. Shenmue is the last game that needs multiplayer shoe horned in.

Best bet for this is to let Gio Corsi know. He is the guy in charge of Sony's third party relations and the guy who partly made the Shenmue III announcement a reality. His been working with SEGA to get Yakuza 5 over so he has the connections. If everyone is doing this $30 on the 3rd they should also tweet at Gio.

We have a ton of great ideas rattling around, but I think Shenmue Dojo needs to get into war mode; this month is the culmination of all the Dojo has dreamed of for 14 years. We have ONE opportunity, so we really musn't waste it spunking out 100 different topics and getting lost in the noise.

Personally, I'm partial to temporarily closing every forum but Shenmue III / News so that all the Dojo's members are focused in one place. I know everyone's playing through Shenmue I and II right now, but I believe that in the absence of Awesome Japan being hands-on, we must be.

Sticky the best Kickstarter ideas (such as "$30 on the 3rd") and really throw the weight of the Dojo behind them -- put 'em up on the front page. Who cares about a Famitsu interview right now? The front page should be a rallying call.

If we can channel our enthusiasm into 4 - 5 common goals instead of 50 different ones, or set out an "official" timetable (like Riku Rose's) then we're getting somewhere. I think Dojo Admin / someone else needs to step in to oversee the community's efforts, put the goals up in lights and perhaps "direct" the Dojo a little. Decide what's relevant, what's achievable, and take the reigns.

If that sounds a little totalitarian, meh, so be it. This is Shenmue III and if we want to hit Yu's magic $10M (outrageously optimistic it may be), we need to get our arses in gear and channel our efforts!

http://i.imgur.com/2v22lQB.png

Shenmue fans worldwide are being called together to give the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter a boost on July 3rd!
By pledging just $30 each we can bring those stretch goals ever closer to reality!
#30onthe3rd #SaveShenmue

Links: Shenmue 3 Kickstarter | $30 on the 3rd Forum Link | News Archive

Mystere wrote: Great to see this project on the front page. I'm in, let's do this.

It will be getting another mention in a much bigger update later tonight.

http://i.imgur.com/R9dPCjn.jpg

Dear Members,

As many of you know, last week was a week that will go down in history for our community. After 14 years of waiting and hoping, it was revealed by Yu Suzuki himself that he is finally in a position to move forward with the creation of Shenmue 3, albeit with a bit of a caveat. Through the announcement of a Kickstarter campaign , Suzuki-San as asked us the fans to help bring his dream, as well as ours, to life by backing and supporting a campaign to help fund the development of the project. While there are various entities supporting this project, Suzuki-san himself has stated that that the fate of Shenmue 3 now rests in our hands and that our actions as a community will dictate the capabilities his team will have in creating the game and to ideally meet its full creative potential.

If you have not already done so, please visit the campaign website and take some time to consider the extent to which you would be willing and able to support this project; note that there are a range of pledge levels with corresponding reward tiers for every single level of backing. As the campaign progresses, there will also be added levels of support to coincide with stretch funding goals as they are introduced. All of the funds that are pledged will be allocated to and utilized SOLELY by YSNET to develop the game.

Contrary to a lot of the dubiously sourced misinformation that has been circulating in recent days, Sony will NOT be funding the entire budget for the game nor will they subsidizing the development costs for YSNET. While Sony will provide various technical investments in conjunction with marketing and promotional support, this project will remain firmly in the directorial hands of Yu Suzuki and his staff. While it is true that there are a number of backers for Shenmue 3, we at this time do not know the scope of how these other entities are involved with the project. All that we can establish for now is that we as a community are in fact the primary patrons for the development of the game and that the responsibility of making Shenmue 3 the strongest game it can be ultimately resides with us.

Over the next few weeks leading up to the conclusion of the Kickstarter campaign, we will be introducing two specific social-media based initiatives to promote the backing of the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter and the series as a whole. The first initiative, #30onthe3rd , is a continuation of our monthly tweetathon #SaveShenmue but with a twist. On 7/3/2015, we encourage everyone to who is able to increase their pledge amount by $30 and post a corresponding tweet as a sign of solidarity within the community. The 2nd initiative, #10MillionToShenmue3 , is a hashtag campaign to be disseminated across all social media platforms to highlight the need for additional funding for Shenmue 3 in order have it be the project that Yu Suzuki has dreamed of creating. In a recent interview, Suzuki-san stated that at a $10 million funding level Shenmue 3 would feature a truly open world that would follow in the lineage of the previous installments.

The time has finally come for us in the Shenmue community to support the series that has given us so much over years. We are now in a position where we can directly impact and influence the creation of Shenmue 3 and give Suzuki-san our direct input While the task at hand may seem daunting, if we come together and collaborate our efforts we will attain the game that we have wanted and deserved for so long. Thank you all very much for your support and we would not be in the position we are in now if it was not for your perseverance and dedication for the series against all odds. We have truly made it.

Keep friends,

The Shenmue Dojo Staff

Humbled!

I'll be doing the $30 on the 3rd (I will actually be donating more than $30, I'm looking to try and up it by $100 to a total of $730 for now) and am already tweeting/hashtagging everything Shenmue Kickstarter related like mad!

Thank you so much, Yama!

Great message Yama. This is a very important time for us all.

#SaveShenmue and #10MillionToShenmue3 are very important, but #30onthe3rd is our most imperative goal.

If you haven't pledged yet, do atleast $30. You want the game anyways right? This is your pre-order and then some.

If you already pledged and want a better game, give another $30 if you can so we have an organized unified push that sends a clear message to everyone, all while reinvigorating the middle lull period of this kickstarter.

This is Shenmue 3.
Let's make it worth the wait.

If we put together these three hashtags on twitter over the next few days, I think it will be really effective:

#saveshenmue #10MillionToShenmue3 and #30onthe3rd

In your tweets try to succinctly explain what 30 on the 3rd will do.

Ie: "If everyone who has donated added $30 on July 3rd, we'd add over a million to #Shenmue3's #kickstarter. #10MillionToShenmue3 #30onthe3rd" that's under 140 characters, so go ahead and use that if you need to. I dropped #saveshenmue, but you could easily swap that with #10milliontoshenmue3.

On the third, I will certainly up my pledge by 30$. But I've been considering going the extra mile and add a zero to that total number.

I'll most likely up it to 300$ (I'm currently at 185). That signed Kickstarter Collector's Edition is way too tempting to pass. :)

I'm not swimming in money by any means (currently between jobs), but this is a once in a lifetime deal. So I'm sure I'd end up having a hard time forgiving myself for passing on such a unique opportunity.

Shenmue 3 is the most important game of the 21th century. And I will do my best to support it as much as I can.

Shenmue's fanbase is the greatest of all. It's really touching to see how we all come together to support Yu-san. We don't see much of the bickering and polarising views the other fanbases have. I can only imagine how Yu Suzuki feels about it all. :)

I have medical bills currently, so my funds are limited. But here's what I will do for certain, after perusing my budget:

I've pledged $60. On July 3rd, I'm increasing to $100. I'm also the same day giving my friend an additional $60 so he can back (he is completely broke and worse off than me.)

Finally, before the end of the Kickstarter, I can contribute an additional $45 or so it looks like. So I will. And then throughout the intervening year I will donate to PayPal once they add the option (I'm SURE they will,) whenever I can.

That's the best I can do, even if I skip games etc. I'm strapped this year due to kidney stones and other health issues sadly.

I am 100% down for $30 extra on July 3rd! Count me in!

My mom's going to pledge $30 on the 3rd

what a gal.

New $30 on the 3rd banners by Ricardo Valverde.

The problem is that these are kids most likely with no experience. They needed a team with a proven track record. That guy was the definition of unprofessional.

Ok, this is just a joke... But this is the scene that happened in my head as I was watching the guy going nuts:

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/shenmue/images/2/23/Get_up_I'll_allow_you_to_die_like_a_warrior.png/revision/latest?cb=20140128023819

"Get up. I'll allow you to die like a warrior."

But even that seems like more than he'd deserve. xD

(Ok, Sorry.)

Really good site Elf!

The only thing I'd say is remove or reword the 'I think some of you can give more than $30' as that's an almost negative way to end.

Maybe say $30 is just the recommended amount for this campaign and if you can give more please do so.

Question on this (probably answeredb so apologies if so) but can I open a new KS account and use the same card as my existing pledge to do this as a new backer so I get another digital copy?

I want to support this by pledging more and also want to get my friends to check Shenmue out and this would cover both :)

Yea this sort of harassment and lampooning is super shitty and incredibly immature. If the mods don't care to take this sort of garbage down then I suppose they won't mind my comment. Go fuck yourselves. Are you adults? That's embarrassing. I can understand why the gaming community has a lot people who pull shit like this. It's filled with 30 year old virgins and cynical teenage twerps who rely on escapism to make up for their pathetic lives and so they think its ok to try to humiliate others instead of looking in the mirror at their own mediocrity. A little clue, its not ok. Dude gave me quite the laugh but he just seemed like a harmless hyped Shenmue fan. Like a kid in a toy store and I don't blame him for that. He made what would have otherwise been a pretty dry and boring 50 minutes kind of entertaining. This is why the gaming community is so pathetic. They are just games and you take this shit waaay to seriously. The kickstarter is doing fine btw. If you want to take something serious don't watch gaming news, watch world news and instead of bashing harmless and powerless individuals go full ham on corrupt politicians and corporations. Spend the time making the world a better place instead of harassing insignificant people you worthless twerps. Fuk.

I had the very same thoughts while watching the Q&A stream last night. Many and I mean MANY couldn't stand the circus act we were watching with Yu Suzuki. He's a game designer whom everyone greatly respect in the video game world. He comes back to the public eye after 14 years to give us fans the game we truly want. Are we suppose to just sit back and pretend that was OK? Joel acted like some court jester during the entire interview. He made a complete mockery of Yu Suzuki in front of a live twitch audience. I had to return the favor by creating this very topic.

Cédric is actually answering a lot of tweets about AJ complains !

mémémargot : " Cedric I am disappointed, I know you love Shenmue more than anything else, don't let Awesome Japan destroy everything "
Cédric Biscay : " It is being looked into. "

I love when he writes like this. [-o< I don't expect so much though.
Very interesting...

Cédric is actually answering a lot of tweets about AJ complains !

mémémargot : " Cedric I am disappointed, I know you love Shenmue more than anything else, don't let Awesome Japan destroy everything "
Cédric Biscay : " It is being looked into. "

I love when he writes like this. [-o< I don't expect so much though.

I was thinking about uping my $300 pledge to $500 anyway,so I might as well do it on the 3rd.

Hopefully it gets to at least the 5-6 million dollar mark by the time the kickstarter ends.

I've already pledged $300 but today I won $1,000 on a scratch ticket!! I'm gonna pledge a lot of it on the third. Maybe $700 to bring my total contribution to $1000!! Today is a good day

2. Even if they haven't, just yelling at them to up their pledge will unlikely provide much motivation for them to do so
3. The whole thing is insulting for the fans who can't afford to up their pledge
4. It will come across as pressurizing, and may even put people off pledging at all

There's a world of difference between 'encouraging' and 'pressurizing' and everything I've read on $30 On The 3rd is unassuming, well-meaning and polite. Unless you interpret a week-old News Update and a couple of topics proposing the $30 idea as 'yelling'.

As for being insulted - are we going to vet all of our Shenmue III donation ideas for 'inclusivity' and 'financial background representation' now? Or are we just going to do whatever we can? If someone can afford to help, they're welcome to and that's pretty much it.

I won't have access to a computer until the 5th, but I'll do my pledge then.

Games """""""""""""""journalism"""""""""""""""

Suzuki said Shenmue 3 would be more character orientated than open world exploration anyway. So I think this will really work in it's favour too.

This is actually what I'm worried about. I know before the Shenmue 3 announcement we all said "I don't care what it is long as Shenmue 3 is made" but we live in a world where it's being made, so now we're less desperate and want to say what it should and shouldn't be. But I can't think of a Shenmue game that isn't an open world. Shenmue was the first truly open world game I'd ever experienced. That was what drew me to the game. I saw a DVD showing how much freedom the player would have and I was hooked. So to think of a more linear Shenmue doesn't seem like Shenmue to me. I'm not expecting GTA V or Just Cause 2 but I'd like an open world similar in scope to Shenmue 1 and 2.

Yeah, I agree, the open world is very important IMHO. I don't care if the graphics aren't as good as modern AAA games, but it must have an open world like the first two games or it just won't be Shenmue.

It's limited to 140 characters, and with a series of posts the Dojo's would hog the space from other people. It makes no difference in terms of the use of the hashtags, I think they're looking from quantities of individuals.

I have access to the Dojo's twitter but I'd probably rather leave putting the most important questions up there up to someone else for now as I'm still not very good with Twitter and we don't want to mess this up.

So you think it will be best to ask the questions on friday, while this is running? It makes sense but I thought maybe he has by then already picked his questions and will answer them. So maybe it's better to post the question earlier?

One question..... and one selfish question only....

Will there be any more dinners added to the $10,000 tier?


Times running out and I am starting to lose hope. I've done everything in my power to make it happen, from contacting every person who could possibly make it a reality, to already selling off some of my most prized gaming treasures, which may turn out to be for absolutely no reason.

Again, a selfish question I know, and I apologise.

I'll pledge an extra $30, but can't afford any more. I hope this campaign is successful and the Kickstarter is also updated to entice new backers.

elfshadowreaper wrote:Dojo mods, please sticky this or post it on the home page for maximum exposure.

Posted this to the front page

7pm BST it is then. We'll know that the spike at this particular time is from the absolute Shenmue dedicated! (by that i mean dedicated enough to find out the specific time of donation, all contributions on the 3rd (or any other date or time) are HIGHLY HIGHLY APPRECIATED! )

http://i.imgur.com/yzQrS87.png

The $30 on the 3rd Kickstarter push is almost upon us!
For those of us who can afford to make an extra $30 donation, it would be highly recommended to try and up our pledge together across the globe in one big hit. This way we can make the strongest impact on the Kickstarter.

Below are the ideal timezones for varying countries:

PDT 11 a.m. | MDT 12 p.m. | CDT 1 p.m. | EDT 2 p.m.
———————
UCT 6 p.m. | BST 7 p.m. | CEST 8 p.m. | EEST 9 p.m.

More information about this Kickstarter push can be found on the Dojo's forum discussion thread .

Please understand that in no way, shape or form is this push forcing you to pledge extra. If you can afford any extra at this time (or even after the 3rd) then please do - but it is important that you and your own are taken care of first and foremost.

Thank you - to anyone who can - for going the extra mile. Now let's send a shock wave through that Kickstarter!

Links & Hashtags: #SaveShenmue #30onthe3rd
Shenmue 3 Kickstarter | 30onthe3rd.com | Forum Discussion | News Archive

Great job!

I'll be taking on the task to tweet our most requested question on the Dojo's Twitter during #YouaskYu.

In this older topic http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48183 some suggestions have been made already but not a whole lot.
We need more input on this and we need it fast to get the question out in time. So far asking about if we will get both dubs and fully voiced NPCs is the top pick from the old thread but not by much.

Please leave your most requested question here. Doesn't matter if you already tweeted it yourself.

If it's PS4 physical or Shenmue 1 & 2 HD, the Kickstarter will explode along with #30onthe3rd

They've made about $35k today with no new tiers and America has barely woken up. Is that bad?

And ask about more dinners. That's a no-brainer to raise more money. There are plenty who would jump at that opportunity. Like Peter.

If he added 2 more, then maybe because its also giving someone else the opportunity, which id be cool with. But i dont wanna waste time with a question thats only beneficial for myself.
That isn't the case though man, there could be quite a few people wanting such things. I strongly believe in the studio tour with goodies, sign sessions. Playing the game early and seeing all sorts of things. That is a true Shenmue dream imo and it could be done in small groups if enough people buy into it.

elfshadowreaper wrote:If Shenmue 1 & 2 get HD remakes can we import the save files?

I really want this question answered.

elfshadowreaper wrote:If Shenmue 1 & 2 get HD remakes can we import the save files?

That would be so awesome!

I upped my pledge $30. Got to reserve my last real pledge for the final day.

THEY ADDED THE PS4 PHYSICAL!