Shenmue 3 Could be Coming to Xbox and Switch

The publishing rights for Shenmue 3 have been transferred over to Japanese publisher ININ Games, opening up an array of exciting possibilities for the legendary franchise. News of the transfer comes five years to the day after the game’s November 2019 release, suggesting that YS NET’s initial deal with the Embracer Group was probably for a fixed term despite the latter partially funding the game.

In a press release confirming the transfer, YS NET talked about “shepherding Shenmue 3 into its next phase,” which should come as exciting news to series fans. At the very least, it seems likely that ININ will be releasing some kind of special edition, although there’s also a possibility that Shenmue 3 could finally be coming to other consoles after half a decade as a PlayStation exclusive.

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The situation seems eerily similar to that of Death Stranding, which was released just ten days prior to Shenmue 3. Like the record-breaking Kickstarter game, it too was a PlayStation exclusive at launch, but when the publishing rights to Death Stranding reverted back to Kojima Productions earlier this month, the Japanese developer struck a deal with 505 Games to publish the game on Xbox consoles.

Xbox and Switch Ports of Shenmue 3 Could be on the Horizon

While Xbox and Switch ports seem like the most likely possibilities to come out of YS NET’s deal with ININ Games, fans could also end up getting new Shenmue content via some kind of director’s cut. In past interviews, Suzuki has talked about how a significant amount of content ended up being cut from Shenmue 3 due to time and budget constraints: two things that may no longer be holding him back now that ININ has entered the fray.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time that YS NET and ININ Games have worked together, with the latter agreeing a deal to publish Suzuki’s Apple Arcade game Air Twister on PC and console at the tail end of last year. Around that time, ININ expressed a desire to work on the Shenmue franchise if the situation ever allowed, so this deal may not come as too much of a surprise to series fans.

Whatever ININ and YS NET have planned, fans will no doubt be happy to receive some concrete news about Shenmue. The future of the franchise has been mired in uncertainty since the release of Shenmue 3 and the cancellation of the Shenmue anime, so knowing that something is currently going on behind the scenes can only be seen as a good thing.

The brainchild of award-winning game director, Yu Suzuki, Shenmue is commonly known as one of the most ambitious game projects in history, which captured the imagination of players from around the world. Shenmue established the open-world format for action RPG games. An awe-inspiring world with an immersive story, featuring cinematic sequences, a realistic fighting system, and entertaining mini-games, Shenmue garnered acclaim and adoration all over the world.

Play as Ryo Hazuki, an 18-year-old Japanese martial artist hellbent on avenging his father’s death. In this third installment of the epic Shenmue series, Ryo seeks to solve the mystery behind the Phoenix Mirror, an artifact sought after by his father’s killer. His journey takes him to an immersive representation of rural China, brimming with activity and surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Ryo’s adventure leads him to towns and mountain villages where he can further his training, try his hand at gambling, play arcade games, and work part-time jobs while investigating those who know truth behind the Phoenix Mirror.

Systems

Released

November 19, 2019

Developer(s)

Ys Net