Hotly-anticipated open-world adventure sequel Shenmue III will be made available for pre-order within days, according to its creator. Producer Yu Suzuki has revealed that the development of Shenmue III is in its “final stage” and that pre-orders will go live on 15th December. The game’s Kickstarter was launched in June 2015 with an estimated delivery date of 2017.
Suzuki told Famitsu (via Gematsu):
“Development is entering the final stage headed towards full-scale production. Early in the new year, I think we’ll be able to show you things such as new videos.
We will continue progressing with development so that our backers and those who experience the world of Shenmue for the first time can do so with pleasure.
Also, at noon on December 15, we will start pre-order sales for the PC version of Shenmue III, which received a lot of requests.
Those interested in Shenmue III, please check the official website.”
While we are now a year away from that estimate, the pre-order schedule could mean that either the game is nearly ready and is set for release soon, or that the game – the third in a notoriously expensive series – has run out of money and needs a boost from pre-order sales in order to fund the final push.
