Shenmue 3’s release date of November 19 hasn’t yet arrived, but already people are getting their hands on the long-awaited game. Some players are reporting they’ve received their copies already, almost a week before release.
It ends an 18-year wait for the threequel, after its predecessor Shenmue 2 first launched for the Dreamcast back in 2001 – though it came to PC in 2018. Shenmue 3, however, is coming to PC on day one next week.
Even since the new title was announced, it has been a long road to release. The reveal came way back at E3 2015, though development – and an accompanying Kickstarter campaign – was only just beginning. With $6.3 million raised through the crowdfunding platform, Shenmue 3 became the best-funded videogame Kickstarter project ever.
The game has also attracted controversy after it was initially said to be available on Steam, before Epic snagged it as an exclusive on PC for the first year.
Shoutout to @jnlgame for hooking me up with Shenmue 3 a WEEK early. Only game left that has a chance of topping RE2 for my GOTY. pic.twitter.com/k5zLWm4qDY
— James Healey (@SwedishLincoln) November 12, 2019
I went to buy #DeathStrainding from my local supermarket, since they had -15% from games etc. It seemed they had made a slight mistake while putting games in shelf, so I had to buy other game besides it. #Shenmue3 early, and with mentioned -15% price. pic.twitter.com/VLIS5FAoE4
— Topsu (@Topsukkka) November 11, 2019
It’s unclear if the game will come to Steam and other storefronts thereafter or if it will remain exclusive to the Epic Store.
For more on the game, check out director Yu Suzuki talking about Shenmue 3’s part-time jobs and more.