Chances are you’ve played Shenmue if you were an owner of Sega’s final foray into consoles, the Dreamcast. The story however was left on a ‘slight’ cliff-hanger and since then fans have remained eager for a conclusion to the series. Things are becoming a little more interesting as recent rumors point to Sega igniting the trademark of Shenmue again, and recent discussions from Microsoft’s Phil Spencer on the subject.
A Japanese blog has pointed out several trademarks which have been filed, one of which is Shenmue by Sega. Here’s where the story becomes rather interesting (and confusing), Xbox’s Phil Spencer has stated Shenmue 3 is the most requested game on the platform during an interview with Metro.
The original creator of the game, Yu Suzuki had discussed possibilities of a Kickstarter campaign aimed at bringing Shenmue 3 to life. It’s possible Microsoft have approached Sega and said “hey guys, we want this game.”
It’d help push Microsoft into the Japanese market, but the issue would be the age of the game – how popular would it be for those who’ve possibly never even played the original two? The title did appear on the original Xbox in the form of Shenmue 2, so a possible HD re-release of the first two titles (with extra bits and polish) could be a great ‘tester’ to see the interest level of the game.
Of course HD re-releases aren’t always a great indicator – as those who’ve already bought the title may not rebuy it. Then again releasing Shenmue 3 after a large portion of your target audience are yet to even play the originals and know the story also could be a bad move.
Keep your eyes peeled – thanks Neogaf.
