There’s a release date now locked down for Shenmue 3: Aug. 27, 2019.
That’s more than a year away from now, of course, and nearly two full years after director Yu Suzuki first expected to launch the game. But longtime fans — or anyone who plans to get into the series for the first time this week, when remasters of the previous games arrive — are likely used to waiting at this point.
Publisher Deep Silver dropped a trailer alongside the release date reveal during Gamescom 2018, which opened to press today. Above, watch as teen hero Ryo Hazuki uses his martial arts prowess to knock out foes trying to stop him from uncovering the truth behind his father’s death. Along the way, the stoic protagonist will have his ear talked off by Ling Shenhua, a girl who foretells of the prophecy.
Suzuki, who now heads up development studio Ys Net, opened Shenmue 3 up for crowdfunding during E3 2015. Previously viewed by RPG fans as an impossible dream, the Shenmue 3 campaign soon raised more than $6 million — and broke Kickstarter records in the process. The road to release has been bumpy ever since; just back in May, the studio announced the game had been delayed into 2019, the second time it had been rescheduled. But such is the nature of crowdfunded projects, especially ones attempting the level of large, open-world freedom promised by Suzuki.
Shenmue 3 is expected to launch on PlayStation 4 and Windows PC.
