We bullied them a bit. I mean, we knew they didn't have the funds to do Shenmue 3 but we still made their life hell
At the end of the day, they did let Yu use the Shenmue license. Whether out of respect for his friendship, as is claimed, or because they have a hand in the pot (which I'm sure they do.) They could have been complete assholes about it and flat out said "NO".
Shenmue 1 & 2 happened because of Sega. And now Shenmue 3 will happen because of them.
That said, looking back; even without the funds, they could have been more vocal about their support for the franchise. Yes they did include Ryo in various other games such as Sega Allstars, but was our spite for them just because they wouldn't answer the most basic questions about the future of Shenmue? Or because we actually feared they would never let Shenmue 3 happen?