[Team Yu]

SHENMUE FANS!! Just announced at #E32015 - Shenmue Kickstarter!!! Go here NOW to #SaveShenmue: http://bit.ly/saveshenmue

[LagunaVII]

$2 mil seems a little short do you think Sega and or Sony are matchfunding?

[xiuying hong is brill]

This is a simply incredible night. I can't even quite articulate just how much this means. Needless to say, I've already pledged. And I hope everyone who can afford to, donates whatever amount they can.

I still can't quite believe this, but we did believe in this, and we are making Shemue 3 a reality. Everyone who's supported us and Yu over the years, month in month out, never giving in to cynicism.  give yourselves a big fat pat on your well deserved backs.

[agamil]

YYYYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!

 

I'm so excited!!!

Congrats everyone!!!

Congrats to all fellow Shenmue fans!! We never gave up. It was a long hard slog but we got there in the end.  We did it... together. And there's something beautiful about that

A BIG thank you to TeamYu and guys like them for organising everything and keeping the momentum going. This dream just simply could not have become reality without guys like you. Thank you

[jameswalker85]

Man, yesterday was an emotional rollercoaster for me. What an announcement to wake up to!

[Team Yu]

Doesn't the world seem a little... different today?

Those words, those crushing little words like "never," and "can't," and "hopeless," all just got a little weaker.

The air smells sweeter. The stars twinkle brighter. The song in our hearts plays louder.

Because today and for the rest of our lives, we know that nothing is impossible.

We've proven it. And we've seen it with our own eyes.

Shenmue III has been saved.

http://kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3

In just nine hours and seventeen minutes, a so-called vocal minority of fans did what Sega has spent the last fourteen years refusing to do. Yu Suzuki now has the funding to produce the third game in the series, and the more pledges that continue rolling in over the next thirty days, the bigger and better the game will become.

It's surreal, it's dreamlike, but it's 100% confirmed: Ryo's leaving the cave at last.

Somebody better warn Lan Di.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-gDHPIF3N0A

http://youtube.com/watch?v=czh4RcR3iRM

We'll have more to say in the coming days and weeks about our perspective on these events and the future of the campaign (hint: we ain't done yet), but for now the sole focus for every Shenmue fan should be obvious: breaking more records with the Shenmue III Kickstarter, reaching those stretch goals, adding even more and making the game that would never happen the very best that it can be.

Don't go waiting till July 3rd to start spreading the word. Team Yu needs YOU today!

[jameswalker85]

Although I may not seem it, I'm really excited about all this. I'm just worried that there might be a lot of fraudulent pledges. I hope I'm wrong.

[LagunaVII]

You know James that exact thought went through my mind too - We have been massively burnt before and history shows us that when it comes to Shenmue we are an easy group to troll. But this is different. I dont imagine there is going to be that many who will take back there pledge on the 17th July - there will be a few granted, but its gonna be minimum - judging by what I've seen on the internet, Kotaku, GameTrailers etc... the hype is real - Regardless of troll pledges or not - I've just watched Yu on Playstations live twitch... There fake pledges (if there are some) wil only go to help us - its seems from that interview Sony are very much behind this, it was the most requested game for the list - I think this is more a Litmus test just to see if us fans would really step up to the plate if required, maybe to gauge how many there are of us 14 years later...And lets not forget this was the fastest game to reach not only a Million, but 2 million... we are not even a day into it and we are pushing three... yeah the demand is there and thanks to it i imagine Sony is gonna stump up a lot of money as well...

[jameswalker85]

I know the demand is there. I guess I just don't want there to be anything to ruin the excitement. I suppose it's my own personal recent life events that are grounding me right now.

[LagunaVII]

Stretch goals have been added people - looks like we have a long way to go before even Chapter 6 is even completely funded We have a long road ahead before we reach the end of this epic story

[ChippedPodcast]

Hi All - I just want to say congrats on you reaching your endgoal.

 I recorded a "Chipped minicast" about your campaign last year - and wondered if you where available for a interview for a followup? Chipped is now actually called Outoflives (see outoflives.net)

i know our listeners would love to hear thoughts and opinions on the kickstarter and the fact the games getting made

Ross

[James]

We can definitely sort something out Ross, do you still have our email address? It's on the Staff page if you need it.

[ChippedPodcast]

Still have it James - will email you when i get up the road


Cheers

Ross

[jameswalker85]

I look forward to hearing it!

[Team Yu]

So how's your week been?

On a night that we can confidently say will never be topped at E3, Monday's presentation by Sony revealed a triple whammy of some of the most anticipated titles in gaming history. And none more so than the archetypal sequel of gamers' dreams: Shenmue III.

After fourteen years, it's finally happening. And it's happening thanks to you.

But now is not the time to rest on our laurels. There's critical work to be done, by every Shenmue fan on the planet. If you count yourself amongst them, then first of all, go here and make a pledge:

Shenmue III Kickstarter: http://bit.ly/saveshenmue

Whilst the initial target of two million dollars has been surpassed (in just 9 hours, 17 minutes), that was the bare minimum for the game to be made. What really matters now is the list of stretch goals, including those that have yet to be published.

Responding to questions on Reddit yesterday, Yu Suzuki addressed the amount required for the game he wants to make:

"I will say this: if we reach the $5 mil mark, one of the things I really want to do with Shenmue III will become a reality. At $10 million, it will truly have the features of an open world."

So that's our ultimate target: $10 million. And it's achievable, if we all do every single thing we can to make it happen. That means pledging whatever we can afford, spreading the news online, and telling friends, those we love, what it means to us.

On top of that, Uncle Sony is lending a hand, both with marketing and an undisclosed level of funding. But does that mean Kickstarter isn't necessary? Absolutely not.

Whilst Sony could certainly afford to offer YS Net the entire budget, that's not what either company wants. In the words of Adam Boyes, Sony intends to "support and elevate" the game (which will be released on PC as well) without it ceasing to be a third party title, and Suzuki has explained that he aims to involve the fans as investors at every level.

"If the fans are not happy with III there will not be a IV," he told Redditors, "So I hope together we can please make this game the best it can be."

One of the perks of backing the Kickstarter is having a say in key decisions during the game's development, and one of our personal hopes is that this will provide, at the appropriate time, the opportunity for fans to bring back Corey Marshall, Lisle Wilkerson, and other familiar voices to reprise their roles in the series. They've been great supporters of the campaign that got us here, and we look forward to seeing them rewarded with a credit in Shenmue III (something else you can get yourself through Kickstarter, by the way). We don't expect such casting decisions to be made until much, much later in the game's development though, so we'll all have to be patient on that front and focus our time right now on promoting the Kickstarter while we can.

But however the finished product sounds, how will it look? The prototype footage used in the trailer contains models of Ryo and Shenhua that somewhat differ from the faces we're used to - but it is, after all, only a mocked-up example made on a shoestring. Like the voices, nothing about this proof of concept video is final.

"I am not happy with Ryo's face," Yu reassured fans on Reddit, "It will be the face I have in my mind in the end."

There are some exciting reward tiers on Kickstarter and, as confirmed on Reddit, more will be added. They're also considering PayPal as an additional option for making your pledge, which should help those without an accepted card.

And that's what it's all about right now. Getting more and more people involved in the Kickstarter, pushing towards that $10 million and making Shenmue III the game that everybody wants to see yet barely believed they would.

That's why the July 3rd #SaveShenmue Tweetathon will be crucial. Let's use the tools that got us our Kickstarter to make it as successful as it deserves to be. And one big way you can help achieve that is by signing up for the 100% Kickstarter-focused AutoTweet that will trigger on "that day" - the day we rain down on Twitter with maximum publicity for Yu Suzuki's dream project:

Prepare for July 3rd at http://TeamYu.net/AutoTweet

We'll have more to say in future updates about the campaign's direction post-Kickstarter, but until then only one thing matters: crowdfunding the Shenmue III that Yu's had in mind for the past decade and a half, yearning for an outlet of the kind we can provide if we just keep working that little bit harder to #SaveShenmue.

To recall one final excerpt from his Q&A session on Reddit, Suzuki was asked: "Why do you create?"

"Why does one climb the mountain?" he replied, "The shark cannot breath when it does not swim."

Let's all climb that mountain together.

http://shenmue.link