With the Kickstarted Shenmue III still in its protracted development stage, a rumour has emerged that, if true, should tide fans over for a while. According to Rice Digital, Atlus is planning to remaster the first two games in the Shenmue series – the first released for Dreamcast in 1999 and the second in 2002 for Dreamcast and Xbox – for release on PC.
“A trusted source close to Atlus USA, today revealed to me that Shenmue HD Remaster will be released this year,” Rice reports. “Both games, Episodes 1 & 2, may be released together rather than separately. They are presumably being geared up for launch to precede Shenmue III, which could possibly slip into 2018.”
As rumours go, this one has a good chance of coming to fruition. Sega has already discussed the possibility of re-releasing the two games, and the company even registered the ShenmueHD.com domain at the end of 2016.
As far as Shenmue III goes, it seems we could be waiting quite a while for its release. The latest update for the game was posted to Kickstarter just before Christmas, revealing that motion capture and voice recording had not yet commenced.
“R&D for various game elements is on course as the development team shifts its focus towards production,” Ys Net said. “Main game scenarios are nearing completion, motion capture tests are well under way, and voicing tests with the cast have begun. Yu-san and the production staff are happy to say they are enjoying the work as they continue to diligently make progress on the mini-games, events, and battles.”
“I have been completely absorbed in development Shenmue III recently, and often stay at the studio throughout the night to make it the best game possible,” series creator Yu Suzuki added. “My life has become Shenmue both day and night, and I’m happy.”
