Deep Silver and YS Net released Shenmue 3 in mid-November for PC and PS4. Although the game faced heavy criticism for its timed exclusivity on Epic’s storefront, the devs persisted, and it looks like Lakshya Digital — a key player in Shenmue 3‘s development — looks to be keeping that persistence in that it’s gearing up for Shenmue 4 as per a new report.
On this very site, we have covered multiple instances of series creator Yu Suzuki talking about YS Net wanting to make Shenmue 4. However, the team can only make the next installment if Shenmue 3 sales are noteworthy enough to call for a new chapter.
According to gamingbolt.com, it looks like work on the upcoming game might be in the works if Lakshya Digital’s words hold any weight. Yes, in a new write up for 2020, the dev team had this to say:
“Lakshya congratulates YS Net Inc. on the release of Shenmue III. It was an honour for Lakshya to work on this iconic game. Many lucky ones from Lakshya got the opportunity to create 83 characters over a period of almost one year. It is thanks to the confidence placed in us by Yu Suzuki san, CEO, YS Net Inc, and the entire team, that we could be true partners and provide effective solutions to deliver high quality content at the best value. We look forward to working on Shenmue IV very soon!”
If Shenmue 4 is indeed in development, that means the game performed well enough for a new installment. Additionally, the fourth implementation in the ongoing series will more than likely end up on Epic’s storefront, much like Shenmue 3.
At this rate, if Shenmue 4 is truly in development, expect the game to launch somewhere around 2022 or 2023 — that’s assuming things go smoothly.
Furthermore, by the time we start to learn more about Shenmue 4, Shenmue 3 should be nearing its Steam release sometime in November 2021. I do wonder if Shenmue 3 will see a resurgence in that time to help with Shenmue 4‘s funding, or will the opposite happen?
While we wait to find out what the future holds, do you think of Deep Silver, YS Net, and Lakshya Digital are working on Shenmue 4? Or do you think it’s all just a misunderstanding?
