[Team Yu]

British trade paper MCV has spoken with John Clark, Sega Europe's recently promoted Executive Vice President of Publishing, about the possibility of releasing a new version of Shenmue, the trailblazing Dreamcast classic whose second sequel is currently in independent development by original director Yu Suzuki at Ys Net.

After discussing Sega's recent PC conversions of console games like Bayonetta and Vanquish, MCV writes:


The success of those titles has meant that gamers have been quick to make lists of other titles they’d love to see on their PCs. The most common title at the top of those lists? Shenmue.

"It's something we would love to make happen, something we are trying to make happen," Clark says. "I think we want it to happen as much as anybody out there. Yes, it's a serious task and it's not a task that we're not working on, if that makes sense. It's something we're actively pursuing."

We ask whether Sega has its own list of possible console-to-PC conversions? "Yes, which is almost identical, I would say, to the community's list," Clark replies. "You know, when we launched Bayonetta, there was a list created straight away on Steam that was saying, 'What games do you want to see Sega release next?' Those titles have been titles on our list for a long time."


Gingerly navigating the double negative in Clark's comments, he appears to be repeating the same sentiment as every other talking head from Sega over the past two years: that they'd really like to remaster Shenmue, and they're actively looking into it, but it's so haaaaaaaard...

If Shenmue III had not been recently delayed into next year, it would be coming out in four months. Yet Sega is still stuck on loop saying that an option for today's gamers to play the original chapters in the story is "something we would love to make happen."

They have known since long before June 2015 that Ys Net was planning a Shenmue III, and have witnessed the project bring Kickstarter to its knees and set records that still stand today. We've heard time and again about the investigations, the obstacles, and how they want it as much as we do. But we've still, after all this time, yet to hear that they're actually making it.

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