Shenmue Creator Claims Shenmue 4 Isn't In Development
The Shenmue series has received a surprise resurgence in relevance recently with the release of Shenmue: The Animation, an anime project developed in collaboration between Sega, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, and YS Net. The anime, which started production during Shenmue 3's development, just recently finished airing and has been met with positive reception from both long-time fans and newcomers to the series. Recently, rumors have begun to circulate implying that Shenmue 4 could be announced shortly after the anime's airing, however, series creator Yu Suzuki has claimed in an interview that there are «no concrete plans» for a fourth title.
Shenmue made its debut on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 and is often credited with being the first ever open-world game, offering fully recreated renditions of Japanese towns with an unparalleled level of detail for a game of its time. It was followed in 2001 with Shenmue 2, which took Ryo Hazuki to Hong Kong in his quest to avenge his father's death. The series was seemingly canceled at this point, with Sega uninterested in spending the millions required to produce a third entry, which quickly became one of the most requested video game sequels of all time.
110 Industries Teases Big Announcement Following Shenmue 4 Hint
In 2015, creator Yu Suzuki launched a Kickstarter campaign for Shenmue 3 with his studio YS Net and the game managed to raise over $6.3 million in crowdfunding, remaining as the most successful video game Kickstarter to date. The game released in 2019 to mixed critical reception, but publisher Deep Silver was satisfied with the game's sales.
Recently, Wanted: Dead publisher 110 Industries began teasing its involvement in a possible Shenmue 4. The publisher began by sharing cryptic
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