E3 2018 hasn’t even started and already a number of high profile games are seeing delays. After 4A Games’ Metro Exodus was pushed to 2019, Ys Net’s Shenmue 3 is the latest release to skip the second half of 2018 for releasing next year.
On Deep Silver’s site, the developer stated the reason as being additional time required for polish. “The extra time will be used to polish the quality of the game even further, to the high standards it deserves and release the product in the best possible timeframe.”
Announced to enormous fanfare at E3 2015 during Sony’s presser, Shenmue 3 would receive a Kickstarter campaign that closed at over $6 million. The overall process garnered some confusion since Sony was confirmed to provide publishing support. Though slated to arrive this year after skipping last year’s E3, it seems we may not see Shenmue 3 at this year’s expo either.
On a more positive note, Shenmue 1 and 2 will be updated and released for PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2018. The ports will include Japanese and English voice tracks and modern controls. Shenmue 3 is currently in development for PS4 and PC.