MAGIC Interviews

(Chapter 7 and beyond)

Re: MAGIC Interviews

Postby Shendu » Thu Mar 01, 2018 2:27 pm

Hello, as a french guy i can tell you this translation from google (and a little from myself for some words) does summarize really well what cedric said in this interview. No missing or misunderstood parts.


Gameblog: A few months ago, you posted on Twitter a photo of you with Yu Suzuki accompanied by a text explaining that you had just played Shenmue III. Can you tell us what you felt when you found yourself behind the screen, shifted in hand, with Shenmue III in front of you?

Cédric Biscay: Frankly, I almost crushed a little tear and I think I poured it inside. You know that Shenmue II ended in a certain way, and there you find Ryo, pad in hand, you're frolicking, you do stuff, you play the game ... It's completely extraordinary for someone who loves Shenmue . It's been years that we all wait, then you take the controller, you play with your character, there are interactions, you are in Shenmue. And you're in Shenmue right now, there's no such thing as "it's not Shenmue." It's like going back years, but obviously with the current technology. It's super cool. I was like a madman.

And even if it's Shenmue, there must also be the sensation of discovering something new ...

Totally. I thought it was great Obviously, when we show videos, we can not know in advance if it will please the public. But when I play I say to myself, "This Shenmue, I buy". Obviously, I'm the producer of the game, so it makes sense that I say that. When I talk about MAGIC I say that if I did not organize it, I would go visit it. If I did not produce Shenmue III, I would buy it. I am not a commercial anymore.

And even if it's Shenmue, there must also be the sensation of discovering something new ...

Totally. I thought it was great Obviously, when we show videos, we can not know in advance if it will please the public. But when I play, I say to myself, "This Shenmue, I'm going to buy it". Obviously, I'm the producer of the game, so it makes sense that I say that. When I talk about MAGIC I say that if I did not organize it, I would go visit it. If I did not produce Shenmue III, I would buy it. I am not a commercial anymore.



Can you describe what you saw? Was it the beginning of the game, was it during middle of the game? What could you do in the game?

I was in the adventure aleady, not in the beginning. . I walked around a lot, did some mini-games and had interactions with characters. Basically, these were things that we will do throughout the game. And it touched my nostalgic fiber. Like many players, I was a fan of Shenmue's mini-games. And even if they represent only a small part of Shenmue, we were all for hours doing high scores on this or that thing and it was super cool. I did a lot of minigames in the game, a lot of things in the game actually.

The mini-games you played were unpublished, mini-games from previous Shenmue, or a mix of both?


A mixture of both.

As your tweet from this morning (the Magic's day) showed, you've been playing since the last time. Have you noticed any evolution, changes, or is it at the same level as what you saw at the end of last year?

The thing is, I already found the game super beautiful. I wish we showed a little gameplay because what there is to show is already crazy. It's not like we have nothing and we keep a little info. We have things to show that normally validate the whole thing and satisfy everyone. I find it very well advanced and I think we will really enjoy the adventure.

Is not it a bit frustrating to have Yu Suzuki at MAGIC, with a playable and advanced version of Shenmue III, and not be able to show more to the audience?

For me, it's not frustrating from a business point of view, because I know how things are done. But as a fan, I totally understand the reaction of other fans. Another problem is that since I'm a real fan of Shenmue, when there are other real fans who come to see me, I say "I see things when they know nothing". There are Kickstarter backers, there are players, and you want to show them things, but you can not because there are rules, a business process, there are things to validate. Of course, as a fan, I would like to share. But I understand that as a business, in the video game, you have milestones and you can not show things anytime. We are still lucky to have been able to show everything we have shown from the beginning. What we showed at MAGIC two years ago was still very much upstream. We had shown this village for example. We try to show images, it is not a usual communication. We try to show more things than others because we have to show them.



And is not it likely to become a more usual communication now that there is Koch Media, a video game publisher that does things in its own way?

I think the people of Koch Media know what they are doing. And the people at Koch Media are also fans of Shenmue. I'm sure they will do the best for the game. If we do not show images to those who expect, there will always be this frustration coming from the fans, but it will not be the fault of Koch Media. They are going to communicate so that the game is selling, it's their job. The idea is that it is a commercial success, and I think they will realize the appropriate job for it.

Do you think we are still on the track for a release in 2018?

We are still on the track for 2018. I think I am an honest guy. When the game was supposed to be out in December 2017 and, when I said he was going out in December 2017, it was because it was really scheduled for that date. And until we decide to delay it. So now we say 2018 is because it is really planned for 2018. After, we are not immune that something happens, a particular concern. But it's not on the agenda yet.

Officially, you are a producer of Shenmue III. Can you explain exactly what your role is?

Historically, at the origin of the project, my role was to find funding for the game. This is the true role of a producer in all areas. At the same time, I am someone who knows Shenmue well. I'm lucky that Yu Suzuki sometimes asks me my opinion about what he's doing: "Is this part a good one, will it please fans, does it?" "Is it cool enough, etc. " It may sound a little light for what I am doing but I am the person who is outside the development but is enough inside the team to deliver a feeling compared to what fans expect from the game. When we are totally inside the project , we do not necessarily know if we retain the feeling of the latest game. That's the kind of little advices I give. And then (Shibuya Productions, ed) also helps with promotion, via the MAGIC for example. Of course, now that there is Deep Silver, they will focus on promotion. They have this role of publisher which is not our job at all. But we are there at every step as a producer of the game.

You helped to rise Shenmue back from the ashes It was an almost dead license that SEGA hardly wanted to hear anymore. Would you like to do the same thing with another video game license?

Yes obviously, there are games that I like a lot and have not had new episodes in a while. I'm not going to tell you the game we're thinking of working on, but there are licenses like Panzer Dragoon that deserve a new episode. It is less old but it deserves that we are interested a little bit. There are Nights too, but Yuji Naka went to Square Enix ... Panzer Dragoon is not bad. But I do not work on Panzer Dragoon. I love Enemy Zero too. I'm one of the few but I love Enemy Zero, and it would be cool to make a new episode.

So you could help put a "dead" license on the front of the stage?

It is something that is possible yes, and especially with games that I liked. This is the principle of the trick. I do not do a specification with market research. It's the feeling. So, of course, there must be both, you can not just do what you like. And that also applies with Shenmue. Shenmue, it's a saga. The goal is still to sell and then continue the saga. It seems pretty simple as an idea. If Shenmue III works, it may give you a chance to do something else. These are real possibilities.
Last edited by Shendu on Thu Mar 01, 2018 2:49 pm, edited 5 times in total.

Shendu has received 3 thanks from: Hazuki00, SheepheadCG, SledgeNE
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Re: MAGIC Interviews

Postby BigTuna » Thu Mar 01, 2018 2:41 pm

Probably a dumb question. But if the game is further along than they’re showing. Is it possible they have some sort of deal with Sony that requires them to only show that footage and/or gameplay at E3?
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Re: MAGIC Interviews

Postby SheepheadCG » Thu Mar 01, 2018 2:52 pm

BigTuna wrote: Probably a dumb question. But if the game is further along than they’re showing. Is it possible they have some sort of deal with Sony that requires them to only show that footage and/or gameplay at E3?


Very possible yes, either Sony or even Deep Silver. Only thing we can do, is wait and see :D
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Re: MAGIC Interviews

Postby ianpm31 » Thu Mar 01, 2018 5:22 pm

SheepheadCG wrote:
BigTuna wrote: Probably a dumb question. But if the game is further along than they’re showing. Is it possible they have some sort of deal with Sony that requires them to only show that footage and/or gameplay at E3?


Very possible yes, either Sony or even Deep Silver. Only thing we can do, is wait and see :D


I bet Deep Silver has a plan on when to have a media blowout with Shenmue 3
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Re: MAGIC Interviews

Postby south carmain » Thu Mar 01, 2018 5:53 pm

Btw I saw no mention of awesome Japan. Are they gone? I hope so, they didnt have the experience for a project like this.
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Re: MAGIC Interviews

Postby SheepheadCG » Thu Mar 01, 2018 6:09 pm

I think that AJ deal with the website, kickstarter updates and the reward fulfilment only at this point. Soon Deep Silver will take over the advertisement completely. I do wonder if they will start to make content for the backer updates though. Warhorse Studios continued to do theirs for Kingdom Come Deliverance I believe, so not 100% sure.

The quicker that Deep Silver take over marketing, the better :P!
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Re: MAGIC Interviews

Postby mjq jazz bar » Fri Mar 02, 2018 11:07 am

I agree. Thank God. Awesome Japan will be confined to Kickstarter/Slacker Backer.

Deep Silver's had a pretty amazing time with Kingdom Come: Deliverance, so hopefully they've picked up some good marketing people since the Mighty No. 9 prom night flop.
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