The Shenmue III Betrayal

In light of the recent event, I find this oldie but goldie to be highly appropriate.

For the seven of you that are not aware, I suppose some context is in order.

Shemue III, a game fans of the series have wanted for the longest time. Back in 2015, Yu Suzuki, director of the series, turned to Kickstarter for funding, asking for $2 million dollars. If it was funded, Shenmue III would enjoy a multiplatform release on PC via Steam and the PlayStation 4. Fans went above and beyond the asking  amount, giving over $7 million. There wouldn't even be a Shenmue III without such overwhelming fan support. And what does developer/publisher Ys Net and Deep Silver do to reward such a show of a good faith? Make the PC version of Shenmue III a Epic Games Store exclusive.

There are not enough words in any language to describe just how dirty Ys Net and Deep Silver did Shenmue III backers. Oh and you've gotta love Ys Net's reasoning for this.


"Development for Shenmue III has been moving forward using Unreal Engine and the support we have received from Epic has been excellent. But most importantly, in looking for the most enjoyable experience on PC, it was decided together with Deep Silver after much discussion that Epic Game Store would be the best distribution platform option."

Don't you just love it when you get a cooperate tool response? Why didn't these greedy sacks of trash just come out and say that they did it for the money? Epic Games offered them fat, fat stacks of cash and Ys Net/Deep Silver jumped on it like flies on stank. Everyone knows Epic Games Store is horrendous, shoddy, pee poor excuse for a gaming service that most wouldn't game on if it were the only option available. If they said the did it for the moola I actually might have some sliver of respect for them.

Understandably, backers are not happy about this Epic Games Store exclusive deal. Many of them are demanding refunds and to the surprise of no one, Deep Silver/Ys Net isn't giving back a dime.

Now some games, time exclusive or otherwise are a part of gaming. However, the case of Shenmue III's Epic Games Store is just bad form. Remember when Bayonetta 2 was announced as an exclusive for the Wii U? Oh man, people were furious over that one. So much outrage against Nintendo. Except the outrage was severely misplaced. Platinum approached Microsoft and Sony over publishing Bayonetta 2. They didn't want anything to do with the game because the first game didn't perform very well on their consoles. So Nintendo stepped in. Nintendo, the company so many Bayo fans were badmouthing, is the reason the game even existed to begin with. Perfectly understandable why at the time, the game was only available on the Wii U.

Kickstarters are always a risky business. Mighty No. 9, a game that was thought to be the long awaited return of classic Mega Man-like gameplay was a disaster on multiple levels and has since served as a cautionary tale on backing games. I actually wanted to throw money at the project but never got around to doing so and in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't. On the flip side, you have games like Shovel Knight, one of the greatest examples of a crowd funded game. I didn't back it but I loved Shovel Knight so much that I bought it five times, digitally on the Wii U, a physical copy on the 3DS and Wii U, two PS4 versions for friends at work. The sixth time I buy Shovel Knight will be when the psychical release of Treasure Trove drops.

Shenmue III's Epic Games Store exclusivity, timed or not, casts an even darker shadow on games that need Kickstarter to get funded. No matter how exciting a game may look, you better believe people are gonna think twice about supporting it after this shady business. And that sucks because for every 5 to ten Ys Net/Deep Silvers out there, there are companies like Yacht Club Games that will make good on their promise.

I picked up Shenmue I & II on PS4 the day it released but never got around to playing it. I was looking forward to Shenmue III but now I'm not sure I would even feel comfortable playing it after the way Ys Net/Deep Silver screwed over the PC audience they once had. Whether they realize it or not, they've caused quite the ripple effect.