Signed Collector's Edition here. Going to keep it displayed on my shelf and never even open the game. Will buy an additional copy to play and support. :)

My final pledge will end up being a total of $360 including shipping (adding some more for #TheFinalBlow!) It is an honor and privilege to contribute to this with all of you, and one of my proudest moments ever as a gamer.

Fantastic interview.

Sounds like no matter what, we're getting a true Shenmue game. It's just the scale and openness that depends on funding.

Also, what he said about crying, being moved by our support, and about video games having a unique way of bonding with the spirit of a player, was really beautiful and proves why we are all so willing to support him so loyally. He really gets it. He GETS how much we all care and what it means, and the importance of this moment is not lost on him. That speaks volumes for the game he'll try to make and for him as a person.

I've been posting the following everywhere I can:

-----------------------------------------------

Please consider taking part in the "QTE" even this July 15th. Register and create an account at the Team Yu website, and then on July 15th go here: http://teamyu.net/Shenmue.III?action=qte to enter! This event will aim to not only get #SaveShenmue trending but also to make people stand up, take notice, and PLEDGE to this Kickstarter while there's still time. :) Note the synchronized TIMES on the QTE website, for the ideal times on July 15th to enter in your time zone, so we can all make a united last stand! :)

The same day, unleash #TheFinalBlow! July 15th through the 17th, get #TheFinalBlow and #SaveShenmue trending, and increase your pledges if you can at all during those days (if you can’t that’s okay! Every contribution is welcome and appreciated!) http://30onthe3rd.com/finalblow/ | https://youtu.be/G2m8xhe_G2g

These are the final two fan organized major offensives to bring this Kickstarter campaign home! Participate if you can July 15th through 17th! For Yu, for Shenmue, and for ourselves!

Also you can check out Shenmue Collective’s Facebook event for July 15th as well! http://t.co/DrOIoVx8N7 Win a Sega Dreamcast with Shenmue!

July 15th - 17th: our last chance.

-------------------------------------

I hope it makes some small difference, at least.

This will go down as my proudest moment ever as a gamer. I gave literally every dollar I could without hurting myself. We did it, guys. We made the miracle come true. And now, with PayPal having been announced, I have NO DOUBT that we will get the Shenmue game we have waited for for the better part of 20 years. This is a momentous day I shall remember for the rest of my life.

I love you all and am so grateful to you all, and so honored to have been a small part of this process.

My memories of the campaign:

A lot of people being confused by the reward tiers due to arguably less than ideal planning from the outset.

More passion and love for this series than I ever imagined could exist, despite how much I loved it myself.

Multiple instances of tears of joy (July 3rd push, PS4 physical announcement, finding out Yu cried at E3, learning Yu was moved by the "Thank Yu" video, and of course, this final day.)

The resurrection within my heart and soul of the previously dead belief that DREAMS DO COME TRUE. There just aren't words to adequately express how much more than a mere video game this means to me. Dreamcast changed my life. This is like having something from it back again.

Still overwhelmed by it all.

Also: I really feel, despite how poorly managed certain aspects of the campaign were, Awesome Japan deserves at least credit for all their hard work. Even if they didn't do a fantastic job at all times, no one can deny they worked hard in my opinion. Hard work and poor results aren't mutually exclusive.

Yeah, we should lobby Ys Net and AJ to add a counter once they implement PayPal. It can be done. If nothing else, they should issue periodic reports on the progress of funding like Star Citizen.

I was just pondering this a bit, and I thought it might be fun to look at all the borderline-miraculous circumstances that coalesced to bring us the success we just had on Kickstarter and the resurrection of this franchise from seeming oblivion. In all seriousness, some pretty remarkable things had to happen to get us to this day. And some pretty amazing coincidences as well.

Firstly, and most importantly of all of course, the undying passion that the fans have kept alight for far longer than most would have for any other IP. I mean when you really look at it: 14 years. That's the difference between being 16 years old and 30 years old. That's the difference between high school and being a 30-something adult with children. How many people hold on to the love of something that long? Especially something that wasn't exactly a raving mainstream success?

It's not like it's a mainstream, popular thing to be a Shenmue fan in 2015 (well... it might become one now of course!) It's not like we're constantly reminded of it or get it reinforced by the media or our peers (except in communities like this one.) No, it has been entirely up to us to grit our teeth and slog through the years, carrying a seemingly futile torch for this video game. That we did that is remarkable!

Secondly, the length of time itself. How many other examples are there of ANYTHING this old in entertainment years (entertainment properties age fast) that get resurrected? I can think of only a rare handful, all of which were far more popular than Shenmue. Star Trek. Star Wars. X-Files. And those all had corporate backing. They weren't independent affairs, and they had massive media exposure and vast audiences. That people are even still TALKING about Shenmue, let alone planning to bring it back today is just astounding.

Thirdly, the many, many times Yu tried to get the game - or something Shenmue related (Shenmue Online, Shenmue City, etc.) - made, but couldn't get things off the ground. Normally when a creative force of his caliber and renown tries so many times to do something and they can't, they go on to something else. They don't doggedly hold onto a single-minded determination to get that one thing made for over a decade. Granted he did some mobile stuff, but by and large, his focus has been Shenmue. That he finally succeeded is miraculous in its own right.

Fourthly, fans petitioning Sony at just the right time. Sony's "building the list" initiative led to people speaking up and seizing the opportunity to try to get Shenmue noticed by a big company again, in some way, shape, or form. That in and of itself isn't that surprising. But what's amazing is that Yu had been considering Kickstarter for a few years, and seriously investigating the possibility of getting the game done that way. He said repeatedly that the game needed "the right opportunity" for it to work out. It was the timing of fans petitioning Sony, Sony reaching out to him, and E3 allowing him a soap box, that FINALLY provided that "right opportunity" and the rallying cry that could finally give the game a real chance of securing the funding it needed.

Fifthly, Sega allowing Yu the right to make Shenmue 3. They didn't have to do this. There are other examples of companies asking IP holders to let them do something like this, and them saying no, and sitting on said IPs and doing nothing with them. Sega has been pretty lax about letting people at least try, though. Sega's not perfect and hasn't exactly ingratiated themselves to gamers in recent years, but this one aspect of their behavior is really cool and should be applauded. Especially since, other than any potential good PR or future Shenmue related releases they can use this as a springboard for, they have no financial stake in doing it that we know if.

Sixthly, the PS4 physical copies through Kickstarter. Another example of a big company doing something they didn't have to do. Sony isn't going to see a dime for those physical copies, and we know they're the ones handling publishing (presumably PS4 porting) so in short, they're throwing money away with each of those physical copies. Just to help the Kickstarter out. Again, yes, admittedly, this gives them good PR, and the more successful the game is the more money they theoretically stand to make once its released on PS4, but it's still a risk and something they didn't have to do. It's pretty respectable.

Penultimately, breaking the record for most funded game precisely when we did. We broke the record just before dawn on the west coast of the U.S., where many major gaming sites and companies have their headquarters. Arguably, this is what gave us a huge final wave of publicity that launched the surge we witnessed throughout the final day. We were always going to exceed what we had made the previous day, but over 900K? That's publicity in my opinion. That it worked out precisely when it did is amazing indeed.

And last but not least... we finished on 6.333 I mean... REALLY? Seriously! Shenmue 3. 3rd of the month #SaveShenmue campaign. 30 on the 3rd. And we finish on 6.333? Tell me that's not the least bit improbable! Lol.

In short... the journey to Shenmue 3's Kickstarter success has been amazing, especially considering all the obstacles it had to overcome. I consider it a literal miracle, and a once in a lifetime event that I will remember forever. Seriously, this is the stuff of legends. Things simply don't ever work out this way in life. That they did for Shenmue 3, is kismet.

mrandyk wrote: Your time and money will be better spent if you spread the word rather than buying an additional copy.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

I choose how my time and money is best spent incidentally.

It can take up to 7 days apparently for Kickstarter transactions to go through.

I have always said the campaign was far less than ideal. However I wouldn't go so far as to say it was atrocious, either.

I think there is more than meets the eye to the whole situation, personally. I suspect Ys Net had a lot less money to invest in the campaign than we might imagine, and that they had to make the most of what they had. I also suspect there were a lot of language and cultural barrier issues in terms of PR. Better translation of the stretch goals and rewards would have definitely helped.

But I think honestly, since Yu said in last night's stream that he monitors and is intimately involved in everything - from the game to the Kickstarter - that a lot of it had to do with underestimating the appetite for a slick, professional looking and feeling campaign. We've been a bit spoiled by recent Kickstarters, and expect that same level of polish. Whereas I feel Ys Net were going for a more relaxed, casual, "with the fans" experience that didn't have every single point nailed down from a PR and planning standpoint.

I also kind of feel that the timing of the reveal - at E3 - was an opportunity he was presented with that he couldn't pass up, but that this left little time to actually plan the campaign effectively. Things felt rushed and haphazard... probably, in my opinion, because they were, and had to be.

Things are usually a lot more complicated and involved than we ever seen from the outside looking in. For all we know they did the best they could with an impossible situation and with very little in the way of funds to pull it off, hoping for a miracle as they flew by the seat of their pants.

Yes, yes, Awesome Japan are professionals and one would expect a certain level of pizazz to come with that moniker. But professionals are human too. And when in a hurry and trying to promote a project that's still very much amorphous and unformed, it can be difficult to even know with certainty what you're promoting, let alone do so in a way that seems completely coherent at every step of the journey.

So with all that said, I feel they worked really hard, with less than stellar results. That's the worst I can say of them without knowing more about the whole situation. There could have been a lot of reasons we're not privy to behind why they did or didn't do certain things we with they had.

To be fair, games like Bethesda's TES series do have NPCs that all have full work, sleep, and leisure schedules. It was one of the most touted features beginning with Oblivion, and continuing in Skyrim.

The difference - and in my opinion advantage - to Shenmue's implementation of this (apart from being the first game to really innovate it) is the smaller, more closed community allows those schedules and behaviors to 1) feel more important, and 2) actually get noticed by the player.

Sometimes in modern sandbox games, there's almost TOO much freedom to really stop and appreciate the more subtle stuff that's going on. But with Shenmue, everything from the camera's closeness to Ryo, to the methodical pace, to the smaller scale of the world all forces those things into the player's attention front and center. And as a result, they feel so much more immersive and REAL to me.

In sandboxes, the journey and the experience is about massive visual vistas and freedom to roam and create your own personal story. In Shenmue, the the journey is Ryo's, and the experience is about intimate, granular minutia and everyday life details. It's almost more like a life sim than an open world game.

That was by far what I loved most about Shenmue.

Sidenote: What was the first game to feature dynamic shadows that change with time of day? Because Shenmue 2 did a fantastic job with that and I remember thinking at the time that it was amazing. Did it innovate that too? Or at least beat others to it?

One thing to consider about PayPal that I had completely forgotten about: PayPal hasn't always gone smoothly with crowdfunding projects.

Skull Girls, Dreamfall Chapters, and several other projects that were Kickstarted and then added PayPal afterwards, had their PayPal accounts frozen, with PayPal saying for some time that they would not be unlocked until such time as the games were actually released. They said they were trying to "protect their customers." This has happened several times, and it took a monumental - if fortunately brief - effort to make PayPal see reason and unfreeze the accounts again.

There are different laws in different countries governing PayPal's policies (as they attempt to remain adherent to their interpretation of those laws on a country by country basis,) which causes all sorts of unexpected complexities and conflicts. So things aren't quite as cut and dried as "just do it."

As I've said before, we're not sitting there with Ys Net and AJ, privy to their discussion or decisions. We don't know everything going on behind the scenes or all the reasons for what they do (and don't do) or why. Personally, I'm inclined to always give everyone the benefit of the doubt unless I have proof of pure ineptitude or bungling.

And even were that the case... what can we do about it? We have two choices. 1) Plough ahead and support this process to the hilt, or 2) Fall apart and be less supportive. Even though I know it's frustrating as heck, which of those two courses will best serve the game? It's not as if our outrage is going to force them to put PayPal up more quickly. We waited 14 years for this. We can wait a few more days. I share everyone's frustration. I do. I just want to stay positive and motivated to relentlessly support this, whatever happens, and no matter how bad things get.

That's what got us to where we are now, and it's what will get us to where we want to be. *Insert something about life and lemons here*

Things like this only underscore my feeling that there is simply some sort of unintended (and innocent) disconnect between their perception of Kickstarter and ours. Everyone is quick to blame AJ for the mishandling of the KS, but Yu said in the stream that he is intimately involved in and monitoring everything that happens. So I wonder if he just doesn't think about it the way we do, or fully understand people's expectations. Which is actually understandable.

Either that or they're working on a major update of some kind. We know they're working on PayPal at least. Maybe they really are trying to implement it in a snazzy way and it's taking time? Fingers crossed.

I'm sure we'll hear something soon.

P.S. The last update we got on Friday was late in the afternoon PDT, so it's still POSSIBLE we could hear something today. Maybe...

Branching, yes. Multiple objectives at once, I'm iffy on for a couple of reasons.

1) The whole reason the time management aspect of the game felt like it mattered, was because we had very clear, specific objectives, but had to wait for them to happen. Which meant trying to fill time in the interim. If that time is instead packed with multiple objectives at once, it could detract from that mechanic.

2) As Yokosuka said, they might feel tempted by multiple objectives to add HUD markers for them. That's something I definitely don't want to see in a Shenmue game. Shenmue is all about methodical analysis of surroundings, exploration, and carefully taking everything in. I don't want to rush toward a beacon of some kind on a HUD. I don't want to be ALLOWED to ignore my surroundings. I want to HAVE to pay attention. That's core to Shenmue for me.

Branching though, yes. That could be a great, cost effective way to add a lot of replay value to what may otherwise be a shorter game than some would like. Combined with the rapport system and character perspective system, branching dialogue and some choice and consequence could go a long way toward creating a meaty feeling game experience.

Awesome!

And if this doesn't quite assuage those impatient for a more substantive update (e.g. PayPal etc.) please see: http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48753 which suggests Cedric is the one in charge of such financial matters, and please see the comment elsewhere (can't find it now) in which Joel Tess from AJ told a backer in a response, "There are reasons, some of which we aren't privy to. As you can imagine, this is a little more complicated than your average Kickstarter" or some such.

So I think maybe, just maybe, we should stop leveling all of the blame on AJ. I'm not defending their performance, which was far less than ideal as I've consistently said. But it seems clear to me that there are obstacles and dynamics and complexities none of us have any insight into, making for the delay in getting PayPal up. And if the above article is true, it's not in their hands exclusively. And we KNOW Cedric has done everything he can to make things work smoothly, so clearly there are obstacles making this take a while.

We should always give people the benefit of the doubt before rushing to judge imho.

SHENMUE III is IN DEVELOPMENT! O_O *Dances*

Cedric did actually say bomb several times himself.

He said spirit bomb at one point, and "hopefully we will have many more bombs to drop before Dec 2017!" recently. I think Goro over at the Kickstarter set that term off, and Cedric sort of adopted it lol.

Yeah, I've tried to paste and paraphrase this message (the original one, not this latest one) in various places. Definitely deserves its own topic.

This is why I continue to advocate giving people the benefit of the doubt rather than rushing to judgment. We aren't flies on the wall watching the proceedings and we have no idea what is going on. To simply assume ineptitude or a lackadaisical attitude is unfair in my opinion.

I think the best and most succinct answer to the question, "Is Shenmue a Good Game?" is simply:

"At least good enough for thousands of people all over the world to lose their minds when a sequel was finally announced, and for somewhere between 50,000 and 70,000 people to voluntarily donate more than 6 million dollars to see it happen."

Enough said.

A great factual analysis and example of real, honest journalism that is to be applauded but will, unfortunately, do nothing to deter those who insist on seeing some sort of paranoiac conspiracy theory intrinsic to the game and its Kickstarter.

Something that's been eating at me and that I've wanted to say to said conspiracy theorists for a while now, and which I think needs saying:

Hey, I don't like big publishers' sales models and business practices generally either. I won't preorder a game for bonuses. I won't buy a season pass. I won't buy a game that requires internet for single player. Etc.

But those choices are my prerogative as a consumer. No one is forcing me to do, or refrain from doing, anything. The same is true of Kickstarter. Crowdfunding is voluntary charity for creative endeavors.

"If you back it, you're gullible." Uh, no. Not really. I know exactly what's happening here, and I'm all for it! Thanks!

"You're allowing your nostalgia to be exploited!" Uh, no. I'm willingly, and with full cognizance, choosing to let my nostalgia guide my choice in this instance. I LIKE nostalgia. Problem? Is that not okay? Am I not allowed to make decisions based purely upon nostalgia? Should I not be buying masterpiece Transformers because they're 30 year old characters that only appeal to nostalgia? Should I not bob my head to the Darkwing Duck theme when it comes up on my mp3 player? Should I not be excited about Rare Replay coming out with tons of classic Rare developed games?

"Sony is funding the whole game's development. The Kickstarter is just a way for them to scam money out of people like you!" Really? I mean, I suppose it's CONCEIVABLE... but do you really, REALLY think it's somehow better for them, financially or creatively, to bilk a few million out of a relatively miniscule reservoir of hardcore fans, and get conditional funding from Sony, than it would be to have simply announced, "Hey! Shenmue 3 is happening! Coming in 2017 to PS4 and PC!" and publish through traditional channels if they had that ability available to them? If you say so.

But here's the kicker: even were that true... I... don't... care. SURPRISE! I just want my Shenmue 3. Don't care how it gets made. Don't care who's funding it. Don't care if they have additional funding or even full funding from Sony. At all.

How about those who have ethical qualms with this (I have ethical qualms with plenty of things in the video game industry too, for the record) acknowledge that everyone has the right to do whatever they want with their own fandom, their own money, their own time, their own passion, and their own energy, rather than suggesting that if you participate in a given endeavor, you're somehow a gullible pawn in an evil, evil master plan?

Perhaps I'm being unreasonable. I'll show myself out.

My expectations are extremely low. So hopefully not much lol.

Well, not so much my expectations. More like my "bullet points for what I'll be happy with personally."

Realistically, I expect the game to be awesome for Shenmue fans, and just "okay" by modern industry standards. (Or "pretty darn good" by low budget indie game standards, perhaps!)

Either way... for myself...

I just want a great story told, with familiar and new characters alike, and above all, the Shenmue FEELING and ATMOSPHERE. Lots of verisimilitude and granular detail. Even if it isn't graphically the prettiest thing anyone has ever seen.

And lots and lots of diversions and time sinks to flesh out what might otherwise be a fairly brief experience.

As long as it does that, I'll be happy and not disappointed no matter what.

Ignore the click bait journalism. They're always like this. They always will be like this.

Also ignore those who go with it. Anyone who was ever going to continue funding after already doing so during the Kickstarter will, and anyone who wasn't, probably never will. We can garner a few converts through things like TeamYu doing something every 3rd on social media again, but beyond that, Shenmue 3's funding base (from crowdsourcing at least) is already established.

Anyone who wasn't already willing to give blood isn't going to do so now. And anyone who was - and is able - will. It's that simple, and worrying about the negative opinions of the funding being thrown around won't change it one iota imho.

Just focus on what we CAN do. Which is raise awareness AMONG those established fans ready and able to continue funding, and try to get the few converts we can through campaigns such as whatever TeamYu has planned for next month.

Stay positive and determined rather than generating consternation about what we have absolutely no control over. And never forget it's - possibly literally - a miracle any of this is happening at all in the first place.

IMHO

Peace.

What I would like to know is the reason for the delayed paypal. At first I thought that YsNet, Sony and Sega perhaps were working on finalizing a deal to make Shenmue HD and to coincide the announcement with the paypal support, perhaps even as part of the rewards. The fact that paypal was going to be announced at the 17th and that Yu Suzuki, Cedric and Shibuya were going to TGS made me think it was possible that HD ports would be announced there. Now that TGS is over we know that's not the case.
Another possibility I though of was that they were simply preparing attractive new rewards with a variety of reward tiers and that was the reason for the delay. Now we can see that's not really the case either, the reward tiers are basically the same as in the kickstarter campaign, at least for now. Anyone who has a reasonable theory for the delay?

The best theory I've heard - and the one I find most reasonable personally, although I still don't know the specifics at all - though we'll likely never know for certain, is that there are different legal realities in different regions and countries when it comes to how PayPal functions. Not from a user standpoint obviously, but from a legal standpoint in terms of accepting donations for an unfinished product versus simply transferring funds or buying an existing product.

That, and the fact that in the past PayPal has frozen donated funds for crowdfunded projects because they felt there was not sufficient guarantee of product delivery to their customers. Straightening all of that out, at least to a degree YsNet would find safe and secure so they could rely on any donated funds without such unknowns, may have taken longer to figure out in an authoritative way than we might imagine.

We also know from responses by Awesome Japan that there were things going on they weren't privy to necessarily, which means we weren't either, contributing to the delay. So I think getting all of the i's and t's dotted and crossed legally and in other ways is a good theory as to the reasons. But even failing that, clearly something was going on that we lack any insight into which demanded considerable time and effort to straighten out. What that could be specifically? Your guess is as good as mine.

We will probably never know with any certainty. I'm just glad it's finally functional. It would have been great to have it immediately after the KS and I do feel we lost momentum (understatement,) but what's done is done. Must move forward.

The best way to push for full voice acting is to promote the PayPal campaign during the window we have imho. They've said it is contingent upon funding, and that's the only tool we have.

This will be a game with a very limited budget. There is a finite amount of content they will be able to create. If it's a choice between a larger world and more things to actually do in game, and voice acting where text would convey the same information but just less cinematically, then I would prefer they do the latter personally. I don't want a smaller game world and less content just so we can have voice acting.

But if we want to have our cake and eat it, too... we need to raise more funds.

My reaction was:

"No... NO! O_O" Followed by, "If this is in any way disingenuous or not really a true Shenmue sequel, I will cry."

Then I saw Yu, and saw the people in the audience crying, and cried. Then I immediately watched other people's reactions (especially the Huber reaction lol) and cried again. And again. For like an hour.

Then I got angry that Sony wasn't actually funding it, and was cynically using people's fandom to garner goodwill for themselves without contributing (which I later of course found out was totally false and that they were actually contributing an undisclosed amount - which came as a big relief to me lol.)

Then I started looking into whether or not I could afford to contribute. And then I debated whether I should... but finally could not resist, and did. And then became obsessed. And then spent hours every day promoting it and ended up going way over what I initially intended to donate lol.

And now... now I am reliving those memories thanks to this topic, and smiling broadly. :)

Just did my monthly 3rd of the month $30 donation. ^_^ All I can manage for now. Bound and determined to at least do that, though. I had planned to donate far more, and to donate to Shenmue Dojo as well but... medical bills. Darn real life, always getting in the way of my unbridled idealism.

At our current pace (approx. $50,000 a month) I predict we will just barely make 6.5 million, adding one more stretch goal. Not horrible at all. Not the greatest, but not horrible. Still privileged and excited to have been a part of this, no matter what the outcome. Still think everyone here are gaming heroes lol. :P

Today Polygon had an op-ed on this as well, and it was borderline sarcastic and admonishing.

I posted the following in response, for what it's worth:


With all due respect, and total deference to everyone’s right to an opinion… to say I disagree with this op-ed, powerfully, would be a massive understatement.

Some facts omitted from all of these recent articles surrounding Shenmue 3 funding.

1) "I could do with some more money!" was said with a smile and a chuckle. Not as an ungrateful demand along the lines of, "We refuse to divulge details but we need more funds pronto!" Yu and co have been nothing but grateful and respectful towards their backers to date.

2) Shenmue is not a profitable franchise. It is an enormous financial risk. No one wanted to touch it. Sony, Shibuya, and other unstated sources are indeed contributing some unspecified amount… but it has been stated that it isn’t anything approaching even half the full budget required for a proper followup to what was one of the most innovative and ambitious examples of game design in history. If it were, Sony would have simply announced it as a PS4 exclusive that they were publishing themselves. There would be no crowdfunding.

3) Crowdfunding is voluntary. People do understand this, yes? No one is holding a gun to anyone’s head here. Kickstarter is charity for creative endeavors. It’s not investment. It’s not purchase. It’s not preorder. It’s charity. Voluntary charity for creative endeavors.

4) It is ridiculously common for crowdfunded projects, through Kickstarter and other platforms, to also raise funds from other sources. Not just PayPal, but also other funding partners. It is equally common for said projects to never specify what the nature, source, or quantity of said funding is. No one is under any obligation to divulge such details and, indeed, there may be agreements prohibiting the parties in question from doing so.

5) Perhaps most importantly… they weren’t even going to do PayPal originally! The backers on Kickstarter hounded them about it, out of sheer desire to see many who complained that they couldn’t use Kickstarter for whatever reason, get the opportunity to back the project as well. They provided PayPal at our request. I can say this as someone present for the entirety of the campaign. This PayPal funding only lasts for a few months. It ends in December. It is not perpetual. (Frankly, I wish it was. Perhaps then we’d get a truly worthy followup, instead of what is likely to be a pared down sequel that cuts corners in order to continue this decade plus old narrative… but it’s still more than I ever hoped to see in a million years, so I’ll gladly take it.)

With the above facts in mind, some questions:

Is anyone upset that Red Ash got a publisher, thus prompting the crowdsourced funds to only be for stretch goals?

Is anyone upset that Deep Silver is publishing Bloodstained?

Is anyone upset that Star Citizen has raised NINETY MILLION dollars through crowdfunding, long after its initial campaign ended?

Why is Shenmue 3 being singled out for this treatment by the gaming press at every turn? Is it simply because of its high profile reveal at E3 by Sony?

Shenmue fans waited for 15 years for something we never, ever thought would happen. Something that never, ever does happen in this industry: a game that was an outright commercial disaster, from a failed platform that ended a major company’s participation in the hardware market, with an arguably niche audience, being revived and against all odds, breaking crowdfunding records.

Our funding of it is voluntary, witting, and passionate. We are, with some exceptions of course as everyone is different, for the most part, all quite happy about it. So what, may I ask, is the problem exactly?

I fully concede that, as a devoted Shenmue fan, I am biased. But there are some serious double, triple, and quadruple standards being applied to Shenmue 3 and its funding. We waited 15 years. Criticism and opposition are everyone’s prerogative. But please consider the above when putting out such messaging on the project. Please.

Thank-you.

^ In all fairness, the chances of Sony not getting anything in return are virtually nonexistent. It just means they’ve worked out a deal we aren’t privy to…which actually sums up that partnership quite well.

I don't know about that. None of the KS funds are going to Sony, and the physical copies are only going to KS backers. So how does Sony recoup the cost of those units? I would speculate Shibuya or YsNet paid for them... except that YsNet has stated when we were all clamoring for them that it was up to Sony, not them. A greater percentage of digital sales to compensate perhaps? That's the only thing I can think of.

Re: the need of a “new” PR strategy, I’m just puzzled by the official lack of action, to be honest. Aside from throwing out Paypal as a complete afterthought, they really haven’t done sh*t.

On the one hand, I’m incredibly happy to have the game finally happening. I really am.
On the other, I’m infuriated as to the overall handling of all things marketing; I mean…what the f*ck? They realize there’s still money to be made here…right?

I'm certain they do. This is why (and this is ONLY a hypothesis, not an assertion) I suspect three things.

1) The KS campaign was thrown together extremely quickly to capitalize on the E3 timing because the deal they made happened very abruptly, and in close proximity to the event.

2) They have VERY limited funds for marketing in their own budget. They seem to have believed Sony would provide advertising and marketing. I suspect this is why Awesome Japan were chosen, despite their somewhat spotty track record. Price.

3) Sony is taking a very hands-off approach with them, essentially letting them sink or swim apart from whatever financing deal they entered into, and the physical copies. I could be way, way off base, but I sort of get the feeling they expected more marketing support from Sony than they've received. They clearly lack the funds to handle it themselves, or they would have imho.

What do you think?

Shared this on Twitter. Deserves to be read in full.

Yeah, I shall go out on a limb and say Yu and NoconKid both know what they're doing and why. Still super stoked for him.

As said in the other topic in which it was mentioned (and it does deserve to be front page, so glad to see it!) this should be read by anyone with a passing interest in Shenmue at all. And I will continue to share these links with everyone I can. Awesome retrospective. Brought back memories.

I agree. I'm not talking about resting on our crowdfunding laurels. I'm talking about the pervasive anger and disaffection that has taken root here and elsewhere despite things being better today than they were a year ago for Shenmue fans. People fearing that if we don't raise 10 or even 7 million we will see a Shenmue 3 that tarnishes the legacy of the series. (I actually feel a poorly conceived HD re-release of the first two games would do that more than Shenmue 3 ever could, personally, but I digress.)

I think it's safe to say everyone here and everyone in other Shenmue communities is doing everything they're financially, physically, and mentally able to do to raise awareness about this PayPal campaign. I doubt there's ever been a community of fans, collectively and individually, who have sacrificed more or expended more effort on trying to support a game series. And I agree it's not over yet.

But there's also going to be an upper limit on what we can achieve. No one knows what that limit is, but it's going to be hit (if it hasn't been already,) and all I'm saying is, if that limit is lower than we wish it was, we should still be thankful and happy with whatever we get and not feel embittered or like all is lost... especially when just a few months ago, all really was lost, and we were - to anyone's knowledge - never going to see this game happen in our lifetimes.

That's all I'm getting at.

Yeah, I sincerely doubt they are going to fork over pay, allow him intimate insight into the development process, and then publicize it, all just to stop him from releasing a (truly beautiful) fan project when they could have (or SEGA could have) simply issued a C&D, flagged his YT for copyright, and been done with it.

Could it maybe be a case of two birds one stone? Possibly. But it seems more likely they felt (given their limited budget and need to be selective with hires) the project would legitimately benefit from his presence. Which is awesome.

So much cynicism despite being a fanbase that literally achieved the impossible on a miraculous level. :/

Awesome interview DEVILLE David! Thank-you so much for securing it and sharing it with all of us! I've tweeted it and posted it in the Kickstarter comments!

I have said all I wish to or will say on the subject. Carry on.
Hey, you mind me asking you a question? It's completely fine if you don't, given that you have said all that you wanted on the subject but I'm just curious.

Do you feel Shenmue so far did have bad representation of the fairer sex? Personally I feel there's a good range in Shenmue. I mean the women are all different from each other. The only one that might possibly be a danger so far is Joy, but it's not impossible to imagine the daughter of a well to do business empire get involved with the wrong crowd. Everything about her, from her scant clothing to her over the top dyed hair, screams a desire to make an impression. I also think that some women are like that, not every one of course, but some may be. Teenagers especially can be.

What are your thoughts on Shenmue's depiction of women so far? (It's hard to talk about this new ChiYouMen leader since we haven't really seen her yet properly) But only if you don't mind me asking, of course.

Also, every time I see your avatar I want to play Skies of Arcadia again.

I don't personally mind the depiction at all. But then, I'm male, and not really the one who would be impacted by the depiction. Even among women, not everyone will mind it either. But for those who do, I advocate their right to voice concerns about it - just as I advocate Yu's right to depict his characters however he wants - I actually feel Shenmue has some decent to good depictions of women personally. But I think a lot of women would like to see characteristics other than simply "strong and beautiful" in video games.

Someone (can't remember who) once said something (poorly paraphrasing from memory) along the lines of, "Batman gets to be strong, handsome, scarred, dark, conflicted, a brilliant detective, intelligent, haunted, and arguably psychotic. But somehow just being 'strong' is considered enough when it comes to most female characters." I may not personally feel that way about Shenmue or other games, but I can totally understand some women feeling that way.

The reason I don't want to talk about it further though, is because I've been through it many times and been called a "white knight" or a "social justice warrior" for my trouble. So while that may or may not happen here, I just don't have the emotional or mental energy to engage with the topic and really discuss it frankly. Online debates never result in anyone changing their views anyway (not that I want to change anyone's views) and it's such a controversial issue that my social anxiety and depression don't really allow me to brave the storm of discussion for long before I feel overwhelmed and sad, so I just don't usually.

So with that said, I will bow out of the discussion again.

P.S. I play SOA at least once every couple of years on Gamecube. :) Wish they'd release it again, in any form.

Hey, if nothing else, it will have paid for a lot of meals, tea, fanta, and coffee to keep the team working.

Exactly. And let us never forget, it's damn near miraculous as much as has been raised has been at all.

Quantic Dream are the developer of Omikron: The Nomad Soul (a game I loved back on Dreamcast,) Indigo Prophecy (known as Fahrenheit outside the U.S.,) and Heavy Rain. :) They make very unique interactive experiences which are sort of Shenmue-ish only in the sense that you either love them or hate them lol.

I made this to help promote the final weeks, as well as the monthly #SaveShenmueHD campaign. Best I could do. I'm going to be more scarce on this forum but wanted to leave this here at least. I know there are many better, but I try lol. If you think it's useful, feel free to spread it around especially on the 3rd of the month.

https://youtu.be/Gkgc7Oce59I

Just popping in to say:

That looks incredibly advanced for four months of dev time, and it seems like the legendary Yu Suzuki development pipeline efficiency and detail stickling is hard at work with this game lol. It ALREADY has a feel, an atmosphere, and a "smell" as he might put it. And this is with over two years of dev time remaining.

Yeah. He may surprise everyone despite the limited budget...

Had to pop in just to say:

It boggles my mind how evocative those locations are - still! - of the game. If you quint your eyes, a few of them could easily pass for screenshots! The sheer reality of the game, to this day, is just unparalleled if you ask me. At least outside of literal simulation projects that seek to recreate, say, real world race tracks complete with graffiti and the like. What they achieved, when they achieved it... remarkable. Still flabbergasting all these years later.

Great photos, too! Nokon Kid has a beautiful eye.

That is all. :P Oh and, if you celebrate it, happy Thanksgiving. ^_^

Ali being there is a good sign. But I'm a little crushed there was no mention of Shenmue whatsoever in the keynote. The keynote is likely to be the most watched portion of the event, and a mention to spur on the PayPal at least would have been wonderful.

Especially given how casual the keynote presentation was. They were cursing, saying off the cuff random stuff to be funny, etc. Very relaxed atmosphere. In that, someone - anyone - couldn't have said, "Back Shenmue 3!" or something? Anything. Sony has been totally silent since E3, and it's worrisome.

Le sigh.

Evidently this individual lost everything they had, and still managed to acquire a Sega Dreamcast. They are an avowed Shenmue fan.

Give this person the award for Greatest Shenmue Fan On The Planet!

https://www.facebook.com/tuan.hollaback ... 8766624109

That is all.

Basically it comes down to human nature and psychology.

Take the new Star Wars movie. One contrarian person called Rey a "Mary Sue," and now everyone (mostly people who had never heard that term before and don't even fully understand its context, since they seem to think it simply means "overpowered," which it doesn't) is parroting it in an effort to appear aligned with the hip, contrary, against the grain opinion of someone they perceive as vaguely intelligent and therefore desirable as someone to emulate so that they themselves may also appear vaguely intelligent/hip/non-mainstream, etc.

And it doesn't matter if you feel Rey is sort of a Mary Sue character - that's not my point. My point is that many people will tend to, in an almost Nietzschen "will to power" sort of way, unconsciously be attracted to the aggressor and to immitate them. Especially when the target of the aggressor is something unabashedly positive, uplifting, or "feel good," which many people see as weakness. People's unconcious desire to "not be taken in" coupled with the desire to appear "above it all" and intelligent, kicks in and overrides their empathy, ability to think in nuanced, proportional terms, and so they just knee-jerk.

If something is an underdog and seemingly unlikely to ever happen - e.g. the resurgence of the space combat and trading sim in Star Citizen - then they clamor for it and support it. No matter how much money it makes. They exalt it as a success story. But when something is perceived to be somehow insulated or guaranteed to succeed (which, ironically, Shenmue 3 isn't and wasn't - if anything, it's the biggest big name crowdfunding underdog there is in a sense) because, say, a company like Sony introduces it at E3 and everyone erroneously assumes that means it has corporate backing in every imaginable sense... then they want to tear it down and look for conspiracy theories because their ego demands they avoid being suckered or appearing gullible.

It's ridiculous of course, makes zero sense, and is completely irrational. But welcome to human nature, sadly. A huge proportion of everything human beings do is unconscious, instinctual, and unwitting. We just... do stuff. Without thinking, without considering, without sensitivity or insight. We just react. Then we invest in the reaction, and become entrenched and egoic about it, and thus defensive of that position, such that no one can admit they were wrong and CHANGE anything. That's just how it works.

Things like Shenmue 3 finally happening, people overcoming the odds, miraculous things that we never thought would happen... those are the bright spots that make life in a world such as that bearable and at times, magical.

End ramble. Don't mind me, I'm sick and delirious.

There are still rewards for PayPal backers. They are just different than the "exclusives" offered to KS backers.

Do I agree with that? No. I wish they had interpreted the poll as yes + indifferent = majority vs no = minority, rather than yes vs no being such a slim margin they went with no, while ignoring the indifferent votes. Precisely because I know there will be people like yourself who will not back the game on PayPal now. And I want the game to get every last cent it can. That, for me, is the beginning, middle, and end of this process. Money. Funding. As much as humanly possible. From wherever they can get it. That's all I care about as far as any of these machinations go: what will net them the most funding. And clearly there are people like yourself whose money they will now miss out on.

Sure it can be argued that if they alienated those who voted "no," they might lose all that funding somehow too (even though I would assume the KS funds have by now already been withdrawn, so that should be moot.) But ultimately I feel this hurts the campaign, if only marginally.

Myself? I couldn't care less about rewards. Which makes me disagree both with those who voted "no," AND with those like yourself who will witholds backing over this. I would happily give up all the rewards in the tiers I pledged at if it would help the game. I just want the thing to get as much money as humanly possible and be the greatest possible Shenmue experience it can be. Full stop.

So, I respect your choice. But I would humbly ask that you reconsider. If not... so be it. Nothing more to be said in that case.

Take care. I hope the game ends up being something you can love upon release.