This morning, it was announced that Shenmue III has been delayed. Originally scheduled to drop on August 27, Shenmue III is now looking at a November 19 release date instead. While the delay isn’t too extreme – with only three months being tacked on – some gamers may find themselves wondering about the main reason behind the new delay.
Shenmue III Delayed Into November
© Deep Silver
The delay confirmation comes from Deep Silver and director Yu Suzuki in an update to the game’s Kickstarter page. In the post, Suzuki and Deep Silver explain that the game is almost ready, but needs some extra polish and time before release in order to offer fans the best experience possible.
“Today, Yu Suzuki and Deep Silver would like to give a message concerning the release date. Shenmue III will now release on 19th November 2019.
[before] August 27, 2019
[new] November 19, 2019
Whilst almost ready, the game simply needs a little more refinement before being truly finished. We feel that the extra time we have will help us deliver the true Shenmue experience players around the world Deserve! We thank you for your patience and understanding, Yu Suzuki and Deep Silver.”
It isn’t uncommon for games, especially those funded on Kickstarter, to receive delays leading up to release. Rather than release a game that lacks a few final touches, many would prefer developers take the extra time to set everything right. Of course, Shenmue III has been in development for a while, having first been revealed back at E3 2015.
Because of this, Kickstarter backers may feel somewhat disappointed that they’ll have to wait three more months to get their hands on the game they helped fund, with 70,000 people raising $6,333,295. Another concern is November itself, with other major games like Death Stranding and Pokemon Sword and Shield also looking to release that month.
No matter what, the holidays are certainly going to be busy this year! After hearing that Shenmue III has been delayed, what are your thoughts? Are you alright with waiting three more months, or are you concerned about competing releases in November? Let us know down in the comments below!
