Shenmue 3 Delayed to 2018, Creative Lead Dev Explains Why

While disappointing, the personal video explanation is appreciated.

Last week, we learned that Shenmue 3 was not going to appear at E3. To couple this announcement, we now know that it will also not be released in 2017 at all.

Shenmue 3 developer Ys Net posted an update video to explain why the project has been pushed back to the latter half of 2018 and to offer a sincere dialogue on the decision. Even if the announcement is disappointing, it's nice to see them take the time to craft a personal message to their dedicated fans.

In the video, creative lead Yu Suzuki stated that more time was needed for the game's concept and scope and had even promised to share more information later this month as development continues.

There are rumors of Shenmue 12 getting remasters in the future as well. While many are anxiously awaiting Shenmue 3, it never had a solid release date, to begin with, and it's often forgotten that it's a crowdfunded game, which is prone to delays and setbacks as there isn't an enormous support team behind it like many other AAA titles.