These have been some exciting times for fans of the Shenmue series, as after months of silence from the developer we’re finally getting some major updates on Shenmue 3. We recently got a new teaser trailer for the game during Gamescom 2017, and now they have released a new batch of screenshots that feature the game’s protagonist.
Ryo Hazuki is featured in all three of the pictures, with one being a closeup and the others panned out a little more to show the background. While the images here definitely look promising, it’s worth noting that the game is still in development and that what is being shown is still a work in progress. It’s very possible that the overall look could end up changing the closer we get to launch, so that’s something to keep in mind.
The game was originally scheduled to launch by the end of this year, though it was pushed back to mid 2018 earlier this year. The reason for the delay was that the game ended up becoming bigger than originally envisioned, with the developer expanding on the foundation that they started with. While a delay for a highly-anticipated video game is never something that a fan wants to hear, considering that there’s so much riding on the game the developer should take as much time as needed to get it right.
The developer recently confirmed that the game would not conclude the overall Shenmue saga’s story, with there at least needing to be a Shenmue 4 to wrap things up. The entire saga was written many years ago, and the developer has already needed to simplify it in order to fit it into fewer games. However, reducing it into one more game would compromise the overall vision for the story, which is something that nobody wants. It remains to be seen if even Shenmue 4 will be enough to finish the story, as the developer has mentioned in the past that a Shenmue 5 is entirely possible.
Shenmue 3 is currently in development for PlayStation 4 and PC, and will launch at some point in 2018. We’re still waiting on a specific release date, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as that information becomes available. You can check out the new screenshots below.
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