Shenmue 3 has been a long time coming, but the beloved franchise’s revival has not been short of controversy, from the Epic Game Store exclusivity to the recent news that for many outlets, the review embargo lifts after the game launches. That’s mostly unprecedented, and seems to communicate a total lack of confidence in the product.
Thankfully, it seems like publisher Deep Silver agrees that the bad outweighs the good with this move, and has now confirmed to VideoGamesChronicle that review embargo will lift on November 19 across the board, for all outlets. November 19 is the day the game actually launches, so this is still technically not ideal—but at the very least, customers now have the chance to check out the reviews before they decide to spend their money on the game.
Now hopefully, the final game ends up having been worth the wait. I have no doubt a lot of people won’t be able to palate what Shenmue offers, but for series fans, more Shenmue is literally all that they ever asked for. The game launches on November 19 for PC and PS4.