Shenmue 3 is a prime example of just how much something can change in a short time. When the game was announced, then crowdfunded, and became a reality, fans were overjoyed. That joy turned to some real bitterness with some fans, though, when it was announced that the PC version of the game would be exclusive to the Epic Games Store.
A game’s PC release being exclusive to the EGS is pretty common news at this point, but being a crowdfunded title, certain players were not happy that the Steam version they had backed would now be from a storefront they didn’t want to support. When it was confirmed there would be no refunds, that just threw fuel on the fire. The game’s developer, though, says they’ve heard the anger and are “assessing” the situation.
In an update posted to the Kickstarter page, Ys Net says they’ve heard people and are assessing the situation. It’s not much, but it does seem that fan complaints have reached them, at the very least. Here’s their message:
“Hello Everyone,
We want to make sure that the Backers are aware that we are listening to their concerns. We kindly ask all our fans to have some patience, we are currently at E3 demoing the game and need to get back to our respective offices to assess the situation and together find a way forward to justify the trust you placed in us.
Thank you for your patience and support.”
Whether or not that will amount to anything remains to be seen. It’s not even clear if Ys Net has the ability to do anything, now that Deep Silver has taken over as publisher. Either way, the game will release on November 19th for PlayStation 4 and PC.