Shenmue III launch trailer brings us back to the iconic series after 18 long years

Shenmue 3 (Image credit: Deep Silver)

What you need to know

Shenmue III releases on November 19th, 2019 after an 18-year long gap since its predecessor.
It was funded through Kickstarter.
Its launch trailer is a wistful trip down memory lane.
It is set to launch on PS4 and PC, but leaks have hinted at an Xbox One version.

After being in development hell for over a decade, passionate fans have resurrected Shenmue III through Kickstarter, and it's finally about to release after 18 long years since Shenmue II. Just goes to show that fan enthusiam — and money — counts for something. Mostly the money.

Ahead of its release on November 19th, Deep Silver has dropped a launch trailer taking us on a trip down memory lane of the iconic series, and giving us a glimpse of what we can look forward to. The trailer references the 18-year wait by stating that "18 years ago the clock stopped," but "passions never waver."

If you're worried about not being caught up on the adventure, Shenmue III will include a "recap digest" movie so you don't feel lost for not having played the first two games. Game Director Yu Suzuki wants this game to be accessible to everyone, not just longtime fans.

Shenmue is is currently set to launch on PlayStation 4 and PC via the Epic Games Store. Though Deep Silver denies that an Xbox One version is in the works, it's own website accidentally listed an Xbox One pre-order for the game back in June before being pulled. Nothing is confirmed, but don't be surprised if you see it on Microsoft's console sometime in the future.

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Jennifer Locke

Jennifer Locke has been playing video games nearly her entire life, and is very happy Xbox is growing a stronger first-party portfolio. You can find her obsessing over Star Wars and other geeky things on Twitter @JenLocke95.

3 Comments

I was hoping they would finish the story but they aren't. I feel that the public was mislead since the story is just going to continue with no conclusion. The point of wanting Shenmue 3 was to have a conclusion.
Well, I, for one never expected the third entry to be the conclusion of the story, as Suzuki-san always said that the story was about 6 games long or something. Yes, it seemed there was a possibility that they would rush the ending, but it was quite obvious to me that Suzuki-san won't just rush it to conclusion and be done with it.
I understand him wanting to milk the franchise for all he can but after all these years his goal should have been to finish the story. He might not get another chance.