Shenmue followers are so determined for one other recreation within the long-running motion journey collection they purchased an commercial in New York’s well-known Times Square to marketing campaign for Shenmue 4.
Fan web site Shenmue Dojo launched a marketing campaign on June 4, 2024 to “help the continuation of the collection and try to unfold world consciousness to discover [developer] Ys Internet a potential accomplice for Shenmue 4.” A part of this marketing campaign concerned renting a 15-second commercial on Times Square, which may be seen under, that displayed a handful of characters from the collection alongside “#LetsGetShenmue4.”
“Shenmue followers do some insane issues to try to get recognised,” an X/Twitter submit from Shenmue Dragons mentioned. “Are you watching Sega?” Whereas a 15-second commercial at Times Square can value as little as $40, a fanbase paying to promote a collection over its developer or writer continues to be an uncommon transfer.
Broadcast stay throughout our #Shenmue Day stream, #LetsGetShenmue4 hit the streets of New York with a full on 15 second commercial on Times Square! 🏙️
Shenmue followers do some insane issues to try to get recognised…are you watching @SEGA @SEGA_OFFICIAL?👀 pic.twitter.com/gzfLzQWZb9
— Shenmue Dojo 🐉 (@Shenmue_Dojo) (*4*)
The trouble paid off too, as Shenmue was trending on X/Twitter across the commercial and marketing campaign. “Thanks to everybody that helped to present their help with the timed mass tweets/posts as we speak,” Shenmue Dojo wrote. “It was very a lot appreciated and proves that collectively, as a collective, we will unfold the attention that we’re not going to sit again with out a struggle. We are going to proceed to attempt till Shenmue 4 is a actuality.”
The marketing campaign started after collection creator Yu Suzuki informed Shenmue Dojo he’d probably make Shenmue 4 if he discovered a publishing accomplice to fund it.
Shenmue follows a teenage martial artist referred to as Ryo Haz as he hunts his father’s killer in Eighties Japan and China. Shenmue 1 and a pair of had been launched in 1999 and 2001 respectively however the franchise then went quiet for nearly twenty years earlier than Shenmue 3 arrived in 2019, partly funded by a Kickstarter marketing campaign.
Suzuki informed IGN in 2023 that he desires to create one other entry however, following the poor essential reception of the third recreation, would look to make it extra accessible to new followers.
“I need Shenmue 4 to be pleasing for newcomers,” he mentioned on the time. “To make that attainable, crucial factor is to make it pleasing with out understanding earlier occasions within the story.
“I don’t suppose that a new participant desires to know 100% of the story. 20% or 30% could possibly be sufficient. In Shenmue 3, we applied a digest film that teaches the participant the principle occasions of the earlier video games, however for Shenmue 4 I need to combine that half into the principle recreation. It could be nice if the participant may naturally find out about earlier occasions simply by enjoying the sport. For instance, reasonably than watching a separate film, having playable flashbacks could possibly be a manner to do it.”
Suzuki additionally mentioned he’d thought of making a prequel as an alternative of a sequel, however did not point out something was being actively labored on. He has different tasks within the works too.
In our 5/10 evaluate of the final recreation, IGN mentioned: “Rejoining Ryo Hazuki’s quest to avenge his father is thrilling, however Shenmue 3 appears like a recreation that has ignored the innovation and progress of the final 20 years of online game improvement.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll speak about The Witcher all day.