Shenmue 3 Officially Funded, Raises $2 Mil On Kickstarter In 10 Hours

Shenmue 3, the sequel to beloved games Shenmue 2 and Shenmue, has officially been funded on Kickstarter, raising $2.5 million in less than 10 hours.

Shenmue 3 Is Happening

Shenmue 3, or Shenmue III, was announced on Monday, June 15, at PlayStation’s E3 press conference – Shenmue 3 will be created for PC and PlayStation 4.

The highly anticipated sequel announcement comes 14 years after the release of Shenmue 2, and creator Yu Suzuki-san surprised fans at E3 with the official announcement. Fans have been eagerly campaigning for a Shenmue 3 for years, and the announcement of a sequel had some in tears.

#SHENMUE3 HAVE I DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN? I AM SHAKING RIGHT NOW!

— Kathleen (@Kathleenmms321) June 16, 2015

Yu Suzuki-san steps on stage and finally announces: “The story goes on!” #SaveShenmue #Shenmue3

— Mark Sosa (@CODA93s) June 15, 2015

Shenmue 3 Kickstarter Reaches $2 Mil Goal In 10 Hours

Of course, the announcement wasn’t a promise of Shenmue 3, but the start of a Kickstarter campaign to fund the game. The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter went live on Monday, with a goal of $2 million. In a little over nine hours, it had reached that goal, and the numbers continue to grow, making it one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever. Fans flocked to Kickstarter in such frenzy that the site experienced technical difficulties.

Site performance is back up to speed. We’re still monitoring everything. We’ve never seen anything like this. Thanks for your patience! #E3

— Kickstarter (@kickstarter) June 16, 2015

Shenmue 3 will pick up where Shenmue 2 left off, with Ryo Hazuki in China on the trail of his father’s killer. There, he meets Shenhua, his new companion. A trailer featuring the two characters is on the Kickstarter page, but none of the art is final.

With its basic $2 million goal already achieved, there is no question of whether or not Shenmue 3 will ever be made. What remains to be seen is how much money the game can raise and what Stretch Goals will be met. Each Stretch Goal will guarantee a different feature in the game. After almost 24 hours, the campaign has already reached its Stretch Goal of $2.5 million, meaning that there will be Shenmue 1 and Shenmue 2 cinema shorts in the new game. Other Stretch Goals include subtitles in Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian. So far, the highest Stretch Goal listed is $4 million, which will guarantee the inclusion of expanded villages and mini games. The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign will remain open until Friday, July 17 at 9:51 p.m. EDT.

Yes, #Shenmue3 has been FUNDED! $2m in 9hrs! The fans spoke, WE WANT THIS GAME! Keep funding it everyone, let’s get those stretch goals

— Will Morton (@willmortonaudio) June 16, 2015

Thank you @yu_suzuki_jp and @PlayStation for making my dream a reality. Can’t stop the tears. #Shenmue3 pic.twitter.com/NU4K4ybkn9

— Michael Huber (@MichaelPHuber) June 16, 2015

We did it! Dreams are real if you don’t give up. #Shenmue3

— Michael Huber (@MichaelPHuber) June 16, 2015

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