December 2017 is fastly approaching!

[FlagshipFighter]

I still don't think the game will get delayed though.

[FlagshipFighter]

Yeaaaaah. I don't think any shift of the release date is indication of a lie, and especially not when there's a disclaimer in the Kickstarter FAQ that the release window may shift as development progresses.

[Hazuki00]

Delays means money, they don't have all the money they want to spend so they can not delay many Months the game even if they would like to

[Spaghetti]

That's definitely true, and just another reason why a lengthy delay to somewhere like 2019 is incredibly unlikely.

But they most definitely do have a financial plan if a more modest delay is deemed necessary. Either they accounted for it when finalising the budget, or they have an agreement with a funding source to draw money from if they need an additional few months to finish the game.

[khmlight3]

That's definitely true, and just another reason why a lengthy delay to somewhere like 2019 is incredibly unlikely.

But they most definitely do have a financial plan if a more modest delay is deemed necessary. Either they accounted for it when finalising the budget, or they have an agreement with a funding source to draw money from if they need an additional few months to finish the game.

During the summer we should get a lot of Shenmue III news i think.

[khmlight3]

That's definitely true, and just another reason why a lengthy delay to somewhere like 2019 is incredibly unlikely.

But they most definitely do have a financial plan if a more modest delay is deemed necessary. Either they accounted for it when finalising the budget, or they have an agreement with a funding source to draw money from if they need an additional few months to finish the game.

Also do you think you can edit this? Its not up to date. https://www.giantbomb.com/shenmue-iii/3030-49975/

[FlagshipFighter]

During the summer we should get a lot of Shenmue III news i think.

Yeah. If what Joel at Awesome Japan said pans out about backer surveys/pledge upgrades, then the Summer is probably when we get an info dump/new release window/release date.

And yes, I'll update the Giant Bomb page.

[khmlight3]

During the summer we should get a lot of Shenmue III news i think.

Yeah. If what Joel at Awesome Japan said pans out about backer surveys/pledge upgrades, then the Summer is probably when we get an info dump/new release window/release date.

And yes, I'll update the Giant Bomb page.

Can you add more info like saying the game entered the final stage of development in December 2016.

[Spaghetti]

Can you add more info like saying the game entered the final stage of development in December 2016.

I added the more accurate "Shenmue III came out of prototype and into full production in December 2016", but any Wiki entries on there need to be checked by a moderator before they're properly amended so it may take a day or two for the page to update.

[khmlight3]

Can you add more info like saying the game entered the final stage of development in December 2016.

I added the more accurate "Shenmue III came out of prototype and into full production in December 2016", but any Wiki entries on there need to be checked by a moderator before they're properly amended so it may take a day or two for the page to update.

Alright thanks again!

[Shenmue_Trilogy]

Only 8 months until release and we still have not seen ryos final face ( not counting the photshoped face on a few screenshots). I am 100 % sure the game we be delayed! I think by the end of 2018.
We should hope they will release the game in first place instead of hoping it will be released in 8 months. Thats my only concern.

[FlagshipFighter]

Only 8 months until release and we still have not seen ryos final face or any new version of his face after e3 ( not counting the photshoped face on a few screenshots). I am 100 % sure the game we be delayed! I think by the end of 2018.

We should hope they will release the game in first place instead of hoping it will be released in 8 months. Thats my only concern.

I don't get the focus on Ryo's face as a barometer for when the game might launch.

Shenmue III hasn't been at a big press event since the Kickstarter, so there's been no real need to rush the assets to near final for the sake of looking pretty. YSnet have clearly been working on it, and are likely going through a process of tweaking and reviewing that you don't see with other games thanks to the smoke and mirrors approach to announcements and reveals.

They'll show it when they're ready.

[Jibby]

Yeah, Shenmue III hasn't ever actually been showcased for commercial/advertising purposes other than maybe MAGIC. The Kickstarter updates are supposed to be dirty, unpolished looks at the raw development of the game in order to keep backers up to date with how their money's being used. They're not supposed to advertise the game to a wider audience, so it's not a surprise that they don't look pretty. They don't need to.

When it comes to any sort of potential E3 trailer on the other hand, it's a different story. If they show anything at E3, it will be an advertisement for Shenmue, not a preview for those who have already bought the game. Because of this, it'll be here we see a polished and prepared look at Shenmue, not some unfiltered screengrab of raw engine output.

Of course that's just me speculating, but I really do feel it will play out that way.

[Hazuki00]

Only 8 months until release and we still have not seen ryos final face or any new version of his face after e3 ( not counting the photshoped face on a few screenshots). I am 100 % sure the game we be delayed! I think by the end of 2018.

We should hope they will release the game in first place instead of hoping it will be released in 8 months. Thats my only concern.

I don't get the focus on Ryo's face as a barometer for when the game might launch.

Shenmue III hasn't been at a big press event since the Kickstarter, so there's been no real need to rush the assets to near final for the sake of looking pretty. YSnet have clearly been working on it, and are likely going through a process of tweaking and reviewing that you don't see with other games thanks to the smoke and mirrors approach to announcements and reveals.

They'll show it when they're ready.

Frecuently people uses the graphics as a barometer to tell if a game is near completion o very advanced. Obiously, graphics is a very important part in a game but there are many things to do first and then, polish them.

In the last updates there are not have been showed new places, Ryo's face or the animation (Ryo opening the cabinet) is still far from completion and this leads people to think the game is far from completion yet.

I think this secretism is fine to make a bigger impact when Yu shows the first trailer.
If people would know what Peter saw in dinner's backers there would be less worries.

[Spaghetti]

R.E: Animations

The animations in the Quest test are incomplete because, well, they're testing.

It's an efficiency thing, which is why Ryo's hands basically don't animate at all even if his body does. Animating a hand is apparently pretty complicated to get right, and wasting an animator's time and effort when a game designer may rearrange things to the point the animation is either scrapped or needing redoing is not a process this game can afford.

Not saying it won't have happened at some point in development, but I'm sure we can all see the logic in satisfying the game designers (and Yu) first before the polish is applied. What it means for the full state of the game, nobody can really say, but I wouldn't be too alarmed that they're doing it this way. It's a game in development, and it's an iterative process.

R.E: E3

If the game is actually coming out this year as YSnet/Cedric still say it is, then hitting E3 is a must - and it has to look like it can hold its own at a press conference. Not strictly in terms of graphical fidelity, because we know YSnet aren't chasing a pixel pushing approach to visuals, but in terms of polish certainly. It still may be delayed even if it does show up, but no-showing E3 means delay with zero ambiguity, IMO.

Either way, I don't see the last development update video being an indicator of what to expect. There will definitely be parts of the game more polished than that, like cutscenes, events, key points from the main game scenario, the game world, etc. Basically, I'm thinking we may see something similar to the June 2016 trailer Peter & co saw in Japan, but with the benefit of an additional year of development on the game.

Again, it's likely about efficiency. YSnet may not have to carve out 2 whole months of development time to polish certain sections for a press showing if they're showing off stuff that has naturally become polished through the past year. That's my hope, at least.