Shenmue 4 Needs to Appeal to Broader Audience, Says Creator

Shenmue 4 Needs to Appeal to Broader Audience, Says Creator

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Matt Lorrigan

Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki believes any future Shenmue title will need to appeal to more players than Shenmue 3, in an interview with IGN Japan (translated by VGC).

"With Shenmue 3 I created a game for the fans, but if I have the opportunity to make Shenmue 4 – and I think I will – I know how to satisfy casual users, so I want to make a game that everyone can be satisfied with," Yu Suzuki explained.

It seems clear that Suzuki believes there will be another game in the cult-classic franchise, then, despite Shenmue 3 not being a huge financial success.

"With Shenmue 3, I really responded to the fans’ voices, so I wasn’t necessarily thinking about making any money. But since I’m running a company, I have to think about what can sell if I continue. I’ve been seriously talking about it over and over again."

The veteran developer also outlined what improvements he believed could be made to the formula, including quest markers, benches to advance time more freely, and an overall smoother experience, explaining that he has reviewed negative feedback on Shenmue 3 and has "ideas for how we can improve and incorporate" those improvements "without breaking the feel off Shenmue".

"I made Shenmue 3 for the fans, but next time I want to do something new... I hope fans who waited 20 years for Shenmue 3 and were satisfied will show the same demand for Shenmue 4."

Shenmue 3 is available now for PlayStation 4 and PC.

Comments
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  • No, no, no, no, no! Dumbing down your game and pandering to the people who won't buy it anyway, is a horrible idea and will only succeed in alienating and angering the core fanbase who would have bought it.
  • Weren't most of the fans who played Shenmue 3 disappointed anyway? Sounds like the game didn't really deliver on appealing to anyone.
  • The only reason why Shenmue 1, 2 and 3 were out because of the fans dumb idea requesting it. Shenmue 3 is awful and the developer was trash and unprofessional. This Yu Suzuki or whatever his name is, and now he's doing a fourth sequel to Shenmue 4?! No thanks. Yu Suzuki should stop producing games and retired immediately end of story.
  • That would really change the series. It would need to be a reboot or not feature Ryo.
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