The legendary producer wants the story to continue.
After a nearly two-decade wait, Shenmue III is finally here, continuing the story of Ryo Hazuki’s search for his father’s killer. And while some may see it as a conclusion to the saga, that’s not necessarily the case. Producer Yu Suzuki wants to move forward with a fourth game.
Once players reach the conclusion of Shenmue III, they’ll see an in-game letter with the staff credits. In it, Suzuki vows to “never give up” on telling the story of the entire saga.
“For as long as there are those who wish to see Shenmue live on, I will never give up on my own personal journey to complete its story,” Suzuki writes in the letter. “As with Shenmue III, the Shenmue story is with you.” He previously noted in a Reddit AMA that he was interested in creating 11 story chapters across five game releases, so a Shenmue IV, and even a Shenmue V, aren’t out of the question.
Whether the series has a future really depends on which partners get involved. Deep Silver teamed with Suzuki and YS Net to publish Shenmue III after its Kickstarter success, where the project raised more than $6.3 million. Between the demand of the fans and the right publishing team, a fourth entry is a possibility. But it really depends on how well the third game sells this holiday season.
Suzuki remains hopeful: “I sincerely hope that, together, we can continue to spin the tale of Ryo and his adventures in Shenmue 4.”
