Yeah I groaned at that. Everyone after the E3 announcement "Yay we finally get to finish the story!" Haha think again!
Yu Suzuki: I expect individual backers to provide the majority of funds for Shenmue
- Thread starter ShogunDarius
- Start date
Yeah I groaned at that. Everyone after the E3 announcement "Yay we finally get to finish the story!" Haha think again!
i've got to ask, what's the thought process behind this?
shenmue and shenmue II are in sega's hands, so why aren't you putting towards the development of the third?
same with people who say they'll buy the end product instead. why not make the game better by contributing to dev costs now? you still get a copy at the end of development for your addition of funds.
Scientist Supreme!
Banned
Can't speak for anyone else but I like to be informed about the thing I gave money. Which is not to call dumb or sheep for giving money to this but this would be one among many reasons it doesn't hit 10mil.
Then what is the reason it only for ps4 or pc? I know it leaves room for other consoles but why not just say. Like it's hard to port.
If Sony has no involvement then why announce it on their stage? It would be fine if this wasn't a kickstarted but because it is I personally find it concerning.
publicpwnerer
Member
Yep, and they've likely harmed the Kickstarter significantly.
So much for factual integrity.
Tricky I Shadow
Banned
Why isnt this at $4 million yet!? COME ON GUYS! **cracks whip**
TheSlySoul
Member
IDK, Dreamcast budget was probably like 5 million. We are at 3.
Simply Sami
Member
Well this clearly explains the lack of physical version for PS4. As I imagine the costs required for that would be too high.
Jawmuncher
Member
Because I don't even know what I'm getting into. A recap of 1&2 is nice and all, but a lot of input was saying that I'd need to play them to really get the just of them.
openrob
Member
You can play Shenmue 2 on the 360. If should come with a DVD of the first to introduce you to the story.
StealthGoblin
Banned
Not even close. Shenmue and Shenmue II were among the most expensive games ever made at that time, maybe even THE most expensive.
Wasn't it rumoured that they were in the tens of millions?
I'd be very surprised if they don't opt for paypal after the kickstarter, which should get them the money they need even without Sony.
Dragon Puncher
Member
I'm mostly thinking in terms of the game having an expansive open world like the old ones. Even with all the tools in the world that amount of content just costs time and money to produce. If the game comes out and is a more linear experience a lot of people (and probably reviewers as well) are going to be dissapointed and then the franchise will without a doubt be completly dead.
I surpose that could be an option as well. It's certainly better than nothing, but it seems quite uncertain as far as funding goes.
Acquiescence
Member
This is a tad worrying, no? There seems to be some mass confusion now as to what the main financial drive will be towards Shenmue 3's development. I had assumed a couple of days ago that Sony were ponying up the bulk of the funds to ensure that the third installment would meet expectations of the fans, but now Suzuki is saying otherwise. Two million dollars is obviously not enough to create the full-fledged Shenmue experience, so why did they set such a puny amount as their goal? I dread to think how short, small-scale and graphically poor Shenmue 3 will be if that's the amount they're working with. If Sony aren't supporting much in the way of funds then they should've set a more realistic goal, one at ten million maybe.
Man, I hope this all works out okay. I'm already nervous.
Edit - I haven't caught the AMA yet, did anyone ask why there's no physical PS4 copy?
Man, I hope this all works out okay. I'm already nervous.
Edit - I haven't caught the AMA yet, did anyone ask why there's no physical PS4 copy?
Making a bunch of promises and committing to stretch goals benefits who exactly?
it's looking likely some deal is in place between ys.net and sony, either for permanent or timed console exclusivity. sony's involvement is very limited though. the announcement on stage is most likely because it fit into sony's 'hearts and minds/shock and awe' theme for that conference.
they're just simply not involved in the kickstarter, and it's already been said their financial input is going to be below that of the kickstarter goal.
NekoFever
Member
You have to remember that much of that money was spent on developing the technology to power the game, which was all bespoke and just didn't exist beforehand, because nobody had made a game like it. It probably could have made its money back if the engine was used in the 4-5 games that were planned, spreading the cost, but instead we ended up with two games that made the investment hugely costly.
Now, though, they're developing on Unreal Engine 4 at a time when open world games on a scale far beyond anything Shenmue did are technologically straightforward.
Yup and they are the exact reason why S3 won't follow suit. Those two games' budgets were the reason Yu Suzuki hasnt really made anything all these years.
Tricky I Shadow
Banned
My thoughts exactly. It’s dampened my hype a little.
And we still don't know anything about a physical PS4 release. : (
BlackBuzzard
Banned
Ben Kuchera is such a fucking hack.
It was not until GTA IV that the cost was beaten.
Of couse, we don't know how much that was building the engine.
Scientist Supreme!
Banned
Ok but you can see why people are confused and generally have bad will to this project. Bad commucation.
Curious as to where you got that idea from?
i wouldn't put too much into the "you have to play them to understand them" crowd. we've already passed the shenmue and shenmue II flashback stretch goal and honestly, that should be enough to get you up to speed with the story.
they're both great games, but you aren't shackled to having to play them if you want to enjoy shenmue 3. even then, the game isn't coming for another two years and i am almost certain that sega will do something with the old games leading up to that.
not trying to twist you arm or anything.
2 Slice Toaster
Member
It benefits the people who have been on the fence about throwing money at the KS because of the confusing narrative surroundings its scope and funding by providing them additional information to enable making an informed choice?
It benefits people who already contributed, and want more people to contribute due to the clarification that KS is now seen to be the primary source of funding, and by encouraging these people to throw in will improve the final game for them?
Eh if it wasnt him it would have been Arthur Gies, so don't be too harsh on the guy.
because it might turn out shit/not turn out at all.
you need to have a word with yourself if you have to ask that question.
Have you never seen a well run Kickstarter?
Well conceived stretch goals can exponentially increase the hype around a project.
Expanded village and infiltration mission dont really sound like amazing additions.
Outrun
Member
Please...
It was the vagueness of the project, in my opinion, what stalled it.
Blaming some Gaf thread creator or journalist is scapegoating at this moment. Shenmue is not as bigger deal as some, including myself, hoped it would be.
It is tragic, but I hoped that Sony would have done more, like fully fund the game. Perhaps that was too much to hope for.
BlackBuzzard
Banned
Sorry i should correct that all of Polygon are a bunch of hacks.
yeah i'd agree with that. i think part of the problem is that nobody expected this large of a reaction.
it's a cool thing, but also a curse to the campaign. i mean, it's not sinister or anything. it's not like sony and ys.net are rubbing their hands going "heh heh heh let's get these rubes to helps fund a niche title in a series that has been away for 14 years that every publisher has passed on"
StealthGoblin
Banned
Even with UE4 ready to go, to do Shenmue III justice in terms of the Shenmue franchise and modern expectations of gaming, I think the budget will need to be in the tens of millions. Particularly if they intend to release this at the end of 2017. Massive amounts of quick work to do.
No, I really can't.
Where was this said?
Acquiescence
Member
Fucks sake. Obviously I don't mind paying $29 for the game, but I'd like to give a lot more and get myself a physical copy.
That thread from a couple of days ago where Boyes talked about co-funding and supporting the project. And then there's the console exclusivity.
Really what are you even talking about?
... A bigger game world and more stuff to do is pretty much exactly what you'd want in a game. I mean, what else would you want in a Shenmue game?
it might turn out shit if it isn't funded properly
as for not turning out at all, depends on the project. a passion project that is so hotly demanded like shenmue 3 and headed by an experienced and famed game director isn't going to sink like that bullshit yogscast game.
I guess if hype is your goal, fine. But in terms of budgeting and resource allocation while actually making the game, they suck.
recent famitsu interview, it's floating around somewhere. might even be in the OP of this thread.
it says that kickstarter is the primary funding source. doesn't take a huge leap of logic to see that means sony and other additional funding sources aren't putting anything over $2 million into the project.
It's extrapolating based on the thread title and an assumption that the Kickstarter minimum goal was Suzuki's 'expectation' for the entire KS campaign.
(Personally I don't think that's a safe assumption to make; there was a bit of discussion on that point a couple pages back.)
I mean from a marketing perspective. There is a large divide between describing a vague goal such as inflitration mission and giving something more specific that fans can get excited about such as 'have Ryo dress up as a ninja and murder everyone!'
IAmRandom31
Banned
Some people out there have waited like 15 years for this project to come to light and people around here will try and burn it down due to semantics.
It's rather pathetic to watch really. " But who else is funding!!! ". Who gives a fuck. Fund the project if you want, if you don't then sit down and shut the hell up and let Suzuki make the game however the hell he can. If he needs 50 different sources of funding outside of Kickstarter then so be it and enjoy your little toy or early preview access or whatever it is you bought.
But attempting to make it sound like there is shady shit going on? Ridiculous. Sad.
It's rather pathetic to watch really. " But who else is funding!!! ". Who gives a fuck. Fund the project if you want, if you don't then sit down and shut the hell up and let Suzuki make the game however the hell he can. If he needs 50 different sources of funding outside of Kickstarter then so be it and enjoy your little toy or early preview access or whatever it is you bought.
But attempting to make it sound like there is shady shit going on? Ridiculous. Sad.
Scientist Supreme!
Banned
Yeah. Make no mistake I have ill will towards this game I just didn't like the sentiment that people are wrong for wanting to be more informed/involve in a project of this scale.
They don't have to suck. They just have to be designed in a manner that allows for parallelization that can be completed with more money (instead of more time). For example, orchestral soundtrack is a great one because you can hire an orchestra and arranger that do not interfere with programmers doing their work or designers doing their work. MORE LEVELS!!! is not a good stretch goal because it indicates feature creep IMO.
Nightengale
Member
In regards to 'awesome' stretch goals, Shenmue 3 is a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.
The hardcore Shenmue fans might have no issue with it, but it's very difficult to sell this pitch if the Kickstarter stretch goals are basically the following :
2 million : "linear story-focused game that prioritises telling the story, limited-to-no-exploration, none of Shenmue open-world aspects etc."
|
5 million : "small-ish open world Shenmue, XX% of my intended vision."
|
10 million : "truly open-world Shenmue, the game you've been dreaming of."
The hardcore Shenmue fans might have no issue with it, but it's very difficult to sell this pitch if the Kickstarter stretch goals are basically the following :
2 million : "linear story-focused game that prioritises telling the story, limited-to-no-exploration, none of Shenmue open-world aspects etc."
|
5 million : "small-ish open world Shenmue, XX% of my intended vision."
|
10 million : "truly open-world Shenmue, the game you've been dreaming of."
Those are exciting stretch goals to me. I'd just like to know more about them.
The world is the most important part of Shenmue, so more of it (and more detail) is exactly what we want. And we know that Shenmue III is largely about infiltrating the Chi You Men, so an infiltration mission sounds pretty key. In fact, I can't imagine not doing some infiltrating in the game.