Sega broke new ground when it brought forth Shenmue on the Sega Dreamcast in 2000. Since its release, the game as cracked numerous top 10 and best game lists by a multitude of different outlets and websites. It's credited with originating the open world concept later perfected and popularized by the Grand Theft Auto series, as well as quick-time events seen in countless days today (I'm looking at you, Ryse). The follow up was also critically well-received, but didn't get the same sort of sales numbers as the original. Coupled with Sega's relegation to a third-party developer, it's unknown if a third game will ever see the light of day, despite that countless fans are waiting for a third game in the series. However, if Sony gets its way, fans might be seeing more of Shenmue much sooner then they might think.
According to the company's Head of Publisher & Developer Relations, Adam Boyes, Sony has been listening to the franchise's fans, and work is underway to get the games to them. "We've got a massive list-we're calling everyone trying to get that list as much as possible. A lot of issues come around clearances or intellectual property ownerships and stuff like that," Boyes told Kotaku.
When you read some of those lists or comment on them, it sometimes feel like you're sending them off into the vast, deep space of the Internet. Similar to putting a resume on monster.com, it's hard to know who's reading them, if anyone at all. But Boyes assured fans that Sony is well aware of the fans who want more games.
"We get a ton of requests for Yakuza, a ton of requests for Shenmue. We see the lists," Boyes said. "We have a person that compiles those lists and prioritises based on how many requests we've gotten. And I think to date there's well over 10,000 mentions across like forum threads and stuff like that. So those are the ones we're focused on."
Now, if only Square-Enix would do the same, and finally start work on that HD version of Final Fantasy VII. Will fans have to wait much longer for more Shenmue or Yakuza? Said Boyes, "I would say within the next six months we'll have at least one if not a few announcements to make on that front."
