Earlier this week, Ys Net – the developers behind the successfully crowdfunded Shenmue 3 – announced they would not open Kickstarter backer rewards to those who chipped in via PayPal after the campaign had closed. It was a bit of a strange move, given it seemed to go against the results of a backer poll initiated by Ys Net themselves – something which rubbed some supporters the wrong way.
Now, Ys Net have spoken out about the hows and whys of the decision.
The Shenmue series is loved by many. How many of our best PC games are of similar standard?
Speaking to PC Gamer, a Ys Net rep stressed that their “foremost consideration” is making good on the promises extended to backers during the original campaign run. The rep also said this stance would only change if the majority of its backers supported it – and the results of the poll show this wasn’t the case.
“Since the launch of the Paypal campaign we have received numerous requests to remove exclusivity from certain Kickstarter rewards and make them available for the [PayPal] campaign as well,” reads the statement. “We held the poll as a method to gain more accurate insight on backer opinions concerning this matter since we could not be sure that the requests we received represented the opinion of the vast majority of the backers.”
The statement continues on suggesting the results of the poll have led Ys Net to the “logical conclusion” that leaving exclusivity is it currently stands is their best bet. All told, the statement does make it a little easier to see why Ys Net have arrived at this decision – then again, the third “either way is fine with me” poll option still seems like a strange move.
How do you feel about the decision and the response? Let us know in the comments below.