It's been a while since we heard anything about the continuation of the Shenmue series. Back in April 2022, there were some hints that Swiss publisher 110 Industries might be looking to partner with developer YS NET, but that didn't happen after all. Where does Shenmue IV stand right now, then? Series creator Yu Suzuki answered the question himself in a new interview with fan site Shenmue Dojo.
We're not working on that right now. It is still in the planning stage.
When asked what the project needed to be made, Suzuki's answer was simple: a partner. Unfortunately, it might not be so easy to find one, especially in the current climate where investments are harder to come by. The long-awaited third installment was published by Deep Silver, who later said through Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors that the sales were just 'fine'.
Shortly after the launch of Shenmue III, Yu Suzuki vowed to complete Ryo's story with the help of the saga's fans. As most readers will undoubtedly remember, the third entry was originally funded through a Kickstarter campaign that earned over $6.3 million. To date, Shenmue III is the most funded game ever on the crowdfunding website, but the heydays of crowdfunding are now past us, possibly explaining why Suzuki doesn't just open another campaign for the fourth game.
On that note, the game designer confirmed the next title will be set in China. He also briefly talked about the updated motion capture process:
With Shenmue III, we did a lot of the motion capture using a magnetic sensing system. Motion capture technology is now advanced, so for Shenmue IV we would probably use optical detection. We will do the prototyping here and outsource it for the final. However, there are some things that still need to be done internally. When you hit someone, they're going to get hurt, right? But I want to see that reaction when they get hit.
Intriguingly, Suzuki-san also said it might be fun to remake the first two games in Unreal Engine 5 if the studio had a partner. However, he's currently focused on making the fourth (and then fifth, which would close the story) actually happen. That's not to say Shenmue is all Suzuki has on his plate:
There are many things I would like to accomplish! As for the current project I'm working on, I can't talk about it because it's top secret… but after that, I have about 5 or 6 concepts, from small to big projects. I am currently looking for a partner.
One of these projects might be announced before the end of 2024. Lastly, Suzuki also spared a comment for Air Twister, the on-rail shooter released on Apple Arcade, saying it was very well received and he could consider a sequel at some point.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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