Fans Fight for Shenmue 4, Rent Billboard in New York's Time Square | Push Square

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Shenmue fans are a uniquely dedicated bunch. After waiting 18 years for a sequel in Shenmue 3 (which sadly failed to set the world on fire), it seems there's still a significant demand for another game in the action adventure series, evidenced by the massive billboard ad shown in New York's heavily trafficked Times Squares, and the resulting community response.

Spotted by IGN, the ad was the work of fan website Shenmue Dojo, which launched a campaign on 4th June, rallying around the hashtag "#LetsGetShenmue4". The group's stated goal is to: «Support the continuation of the series and attempt to spread global awareness to find [developer] Ys Net a potential partner for Shenmue 4.»

Part of this campaign included renting a 15-second advertisement in Times Square, which we were shocked to learn can cost as little as $40. It's certainly an unusual extent for a fanbase to go to, but it managed to make the associated hashtag trend on Twitter, something we hope SEGA took note of. The whole affair began after series creator Yu Suzuki told Shenmue Dojo that he'd potentially be up for making another Shenmue if a publishing partner could be found to fund it.

Back in time

Do you want to see another Shenmue game? Are Shenmue fans the most dedicated and enduring of all fandoms? Will you, too, be investigating taking out a 15-second ad in Times Square? Keep the dream alive in the comments section below.

Khayl Adam is Push Square's roving Australian correspondent, a reporter tasked with scouring the internet for the richest, most succulent PlayStation stories. With five years of experience as a freelance journalist and mercenary wordsmith, RPGs are his first great love, but strategy and tactics games are a close second, genres in which he is only too happy to specialize.

They should have just bought several copies of the game. And of the remasters.

I'm Sammy Barker, and I support this message.

This is exactly what the Pikmin fandom did to promote Pikmin 4

Glad to hear the Shenmue