Fans of the
Shenmue series know how long the wait for the upcoming title has been, especially since
Shenmue III may have been announced just a few years ago — but fans have been waiting for a sequel since Shenmue II was released all the way back in 2001.
With
Shenmue III finally becoming available in two weeks from today — launching for the PlayStation 4 and PC(Epic Games Store) on the
19th of November — fans simply can't wait to play the game and see the long-awaited ending they have been waiting for.
As it turns out, however, fans will have to keep waiting for yet another title to be released, as
Shenmue series creator Yu Suzuki revealed in a recent interview that the upcoming title is not going to be the series' ending.
According to Suzuki, "
the series will not end with Shenmue 3. Rushing to tie up the plot here would have made for a flat game." Suzuki then adds that he hopes "
to continue the series as long as people are interested."
Suzuki does say that Shenmue III will feel like the end of a journey for players, ecouraging them to take their time and enjoy every minute of it without rushing through it.
"
It would be nice if players felt like coming back from a journey. If you hurry through the game, there is a good chance it will just stress you out. Rather, by taking your time, the experience will be one of trying all the different things the game has to offer."
Shenmue III not being the end of the series can be understood in different ways.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, for instance, is the end of Kiryu's story, but the next entry in the series,
Yakuza: Like a Dragon, is introducing a new protagonist — so everything is possible when it comes to future entries in the
Shenmue series.
Journey deep into rural China as you take on the role of Ryo Hazuki, a Japanese teenager hellbent on finding his father’s killer—a story of adventure, mystery, friendship, martial arts, and ultimately, revenge!
Shenmue III will be available for the PlayStation 4 and PC(Epig Games Store) on the 19th of November.