The Shenmue 3 release date has been delayed in a truly shocking (disclaimer: it’s not shocking at all) development. This will allow developer YS Net some extra time to “polish the quality of the game,” though for Shenmue fans it is yet another hurdle they face in finally getting their hands on the long-awaited game.
“Deep Silver today announce that their upcoming release Shenmue 3 has been moved and will now release in 2019,” the publisher stated in a post on the Shenmue 3 site. “The extra time will be used to polish the quality of the game even further, to the high standards it deserves and release the product in the best possible timeframe.”
Shenmue 3 was officially announced during Sony’s E3 2015 presentation, with the game being developed using funds from a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign. Since then, details regarding the RPG have been scarce, with it being pushed from its planned December 2017 release date to the second half of 2018.
With little information regarding the game having been revealed this year, many predicted that its release date would once again be delayed. Deep Silver has now confirmed this, with it now being scheduled for the broad release window of 2019.
Shenmue 3 isn’t the only game from E3 2015 to run into problems. Final Fantasy VII Remake, which was also announced during Sony’s show, is reportedly experiencing many issues during its development, and Square Enix seemingly no closer to offering a confirmed release date for it.
A lot of time and effort is clearly being put into Shenmue 3, and considering how long fans of the original two games have been waiting for it, many will understand YS Net taking some extra months to ensure that it’s as polished as it can possibly be. With remasters of Shenmue and Shenmue 2 also having been announced, fans will at least get to play through the original games again before Shenmue 3 finally makes its debut.
