The thing is I am not sure if putting those subtitles in will get us that many extra buyers. I think, at least in Europe, the vast majority of people under 30 or 35 speak at least a little bit of English
In countries like Spain (and by extension latin america) and France literally everything is dubbed let alone subbed. Most young people do not speak English well enough there to play through a game like shenmue and besides releasing an English only game in those countries is assuring it's failure in said markets just like Yakuza games, Persona games and the original shenmue 1&2. To think that translations wouldn't be needed in most European countries is insane.

The kickstarter has been updated to say the game will be in English and Japanese.

I'm so incredibly happy that he hasn't decided to end the series with Shenmue 3. Even if Shenmue 3 does horribly (which I doubt) and we're left on another cliffhanger, that's still preferable to me than a rushed product just so I "know what happens". I don't play Shenmue merely because i'm curious about the story. I play Shenmue because its story is presented brilliantly and I want nothing to compromise that in further games.

I feel guilty now, Peter...

I feel like I need to explain who I am now.. I'm not a casual Shenmue fan. My brother and I are 35. We are identical twins and we help lead a school just outside Guilin in Yangshou where we teach poor kids English in helping them get scholarships to achieve better education.

This was inspired by Shenmue. My Avatar is of me laying on a raft on the Lijiang river just outside Guilin.

I've been there from the beginning like most of you. This will be a great experience in my life that I will treasure until I die.

EDIT:

You can find us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/VolunteerEnglishTeacher?fref=ts

A lot of the pictures are of my brother and I.

Here is me with the kids.
http://i.imgur.com/b8Bc9z0.jpg

GUESS WHAT!!!

ok i sent jibby the voice files. i'm not a pro, and i wasn't sure how much to ham it up, but whatever. if its too cheesy then the text will be fine.

Make a version without voice as well because i dont think my voice sounds that good ahaha oh well
No no no, don't say that! Your voice is really good :)
I'll upload the dubbed version and after seeing it, if people want me to upload an undubbed version too then I will (but I really don't think it will be necessary)

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

This is an interview with Yu Suzuki from the japanese site 4gamer.net published 2015-06-19.
Here translated by me.

Original article: http://www.4gamer.net/games/305/G030593/20150618126/

Among other things it brings up interesting new information about the 5 million dollar stretch goal; the character perspective system.

There is also a slight spoiler of a character that might appear, so those of you who want to play the game totally spoiler free should maybe avoid reading this.

here we go.

-- Thanks for being here.
YS: Thanks for having me. before jumping into questions I just want to make clear that Shenmue is a Kickstarter project and the scope and contents depend on the stretch goals.

-- Yeah, looking at the Kickstarter stretch goals there are the rapport system and skill tree and other added.
YS: We add more stretch goals so as more people pledge the scope of the game will get bigger. So as of now I can’t talk in detail about the mechanics of the game. What I’m able to accomplish will very much depend on the funds we can gather. I want to avoid telling too much and end up betraying those who have paid.

-- Under those circumstances, what do you want to do with Shenmue III?
YS: I want to show the relationship between Ryo and Shenhua in more detail. Even further than previous games.

-- It’s kind of hard to imagine how that would work.
YS: Maybe so. I want to to challenge myself, but new things are hard to get people to understand and therefore harder to gain support for. That’s one of the reasons we have prepared stretch goals like larger map and mini games.

-- So you made easy to understand stretch goals first.
YS: As more money comes in, the world of Shenmue III gets larger, and the game becomes more complete. But if it becomes a question of what game has the largest world, the game with the largest budget has a sure advantage. When it comes to Shenmue III, I want to ensure that there are other parts to enjoy besides just the open world aspects.

-- Can you give us any examples?
YS: At 3.2 million dollars there is the rapport system stretch goal. Actions and conversations will affect the relation between Ryo and Shenhua in subtle ways. The way Shenhua speaks and cooperate etc. will change.

-- It seems like the story could change depending on the relationship.
YS: Let’s just say that it depends on the budget. Making statements like that is just asking for trouble (laugh).

-- I get it (laugh). Could you explain the 5 million dollar stretch goal; the character perspective system?
YS: That is where the player will take control of characters like Shenhua and Ren instead of Ryo.

-- At a certain point in the game will we be able to change characters freely?
YS: I can’t talk about details yet, so I will just say that it’s not necessarily like we are letting you control the other characters exactly like Ryo.

-- So it’s not like you can just change characters at will.
YS: The personality of Ren and Shenhua is different from Ryo, so even if they see the same thing the reactions would be different. When you played as Ryo it was his decisions, but playing as Ren and Shenhua would make it very interesting.

-- Hearing that makes me even more interested (laugh).
YS: I’m unable to describe it any more until the 5 million dollar stretch goal is reached, so I’ll stop here for today.

-- By the way, will the story end with this part.
YS: To tell the truth, the original story is too long to end here. So I decided against trying to fit it all in to Shenmue III.

-- Which means that after the Shenmue III project has been finished we have to wait for the the next part.
YS: First we have to do our best to make Shenmue III a solid game.

-- Let’s leave the appearance of Shenmue III and talk about the backend. Can you tell us why you chose to use Unreal Engine 4?
YS: It’s because it’s easy to use and fits with how I imagine Shenmue to look. There are like rendering tendencies for the different engines, and the base colors of Unreal Engine 4 added with “dampness and scent” makes it Shenmue.

-- Are the colors you imagine the same as with the first two parts?
YS: Of course. Shenmue had that air humidity feeling well presented and it had a smell too. That’s what I aim for with Shenmue III.

-- So you’re saying that if you take a scenery out of the game and look at it you’d be able to say “That’s Shenmue!”?
YS: Yeah, That’s what I want to do. But the promotional video we made for Kickstarter felt dry. Kind of ended up like the Californian humidity level (laugh).

-- Your idea of the exact colors or the “scent” of the graphics, is it hard to convey that to the developers?
YS: It it very very hard to explain it. It’s like trying to explain what a melon is to someone who only has seen watermelons and mandarins. Well, you can say the size is about in the middle, but trying to explain the taste is very hard.

-- With that said, do you have members from the former parts working on Shenmue III?
YS: Yes. So we have the original members that kind of know what Shenmue is about.

-- After fifteen years, it’s quite the thing to bring everyone together again.
YS: I think so. Everyone has gone independent or changed their positions, but even at this stage when the scope of the production isn’t set in stone they have gladly offered to join. That’s really heartwarming.

-- It feels like the relationship is deeper than what you could expect from work colleges.
YS: That’s because Shenmue was a project that was more than just work. Ten years after the development of Shenmue II we had this get-together and more than 100 people came.

-- That’s amazing. I’m not sure if I would call that just a get-together.

-- The level of creativity in the games you have created is often very high. Is there any secret to this?
YS: No. I never play games outside work, so I don’t get that influenced by other games. Maybe that’s the reason.

-- I had this idea that you researched other games thorough and tried to make something different, but I guess that’s not true then.
YS: Yeah. it easier to just make something from zero (laugh).

-- So maybe If someone from the media like me hear an explanation for a game and say “Is it like the mechanics from that other game?” you might not be able to get it?
YS: I’m sorry, but I guess that’s true. Well, maybe I have to study the trends in the most popular games.

-- By the way, this is the first in a long time that you get to work on a game this big.
YS: Yeah. It feels like it was a long time ago I got this invested in a game.

-- It’s not like you totally left the game industry, but what do you think of the game industry in Japan looking from a bit afar.
YS: The game engine Unity came out and made it easy for just one person to make his own game, which is a good thing. It wouldn’t be healthy if only big budget games were able to survive. It’s good that the market has expanded with more alternatives. But it’s kind of sad that a majority of games that make money are small like games for smartphones.

-- Do you feel like more effort should be made in making titles for the consoles?
YS: Yeah. Before, Japan was said to be number one in game making. It’s sad that the knowledge that had amassed during that time wasn’t used better.

-- Many of the people during that time went over to make games for smartphones.
YS: It’s not like games for smartphones are necessarily bad, but what’s characteristic of smartphone game making is that the development cycles from start to finished tend to be fast. It might be good for business, but I’m not really satisfied with that. If you compare to cars there’s the really popular cars that sell well. They make a lot of money for the company, but if they don’t develop their flagship model their technical advancement will suffer.

-- In USA there is still a lot of money spent in games for game consoles and PC.
YS: Yeah. That kind of rich content helps activate the whole industry. I hope the industry in Japan gets back on track like before...

-- Oh, the interview got very negative suddenly. Could you maybe give a word of encouragement to the young developers of today or people thinking about making games?
YS: Today is different from before. It’s possible for anyone to make games now. Before it was impossible to make games if you didn’t know how to program, but now there are tools for that. It’s also possible to study game development, and it’s easy to learn from the internet. Living in this age you shouldn't think too hard and just try for fun, go in the direction that feels best for you. Begin with having fun creating.

Comments:
The character perspective system means taking control of characters other than Ryo. He literally says “レンやシェンファ” which means characters “like Shenhua and Ren” so it could be for other characters too. (Edit: Or it could be just an example of characters. Like Thief said: "It could mean that characters like Shenhua and Ren (as in main supporting cast characters) are playable. Ren could have merely been used as an example." Thanks Thief! )
But it’s pretty much as close of a confirmation that we can get that Ren will show up in Shenmue III in one way or another. There is a concept art image of him riding a horse so it’s maybe not that unexpected, but we can be fairly sure he will show up in part 3 and not 4 or even later. Horses were also pretty much confirmed in Yu Suzuki's Reddit AMA so the concept art could very well be of an event happening in Shenmue III.

Not sure what to make of this, at least it shows ambition and direction. Still very early days on Shenmue 3 and he's already thinking of the next instalments.

Full story - http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06/23/shenmue-creator-wants-to-make-shenmue-4

Thoughts?

He has to. Shenmue is written like a novel. Shoving everything into one game wouldn't feel right.

I think it's important to not get hung up on the exact number of chapters. Suzuki seems to be going about Shenmue III (and future games) with the intent of making it as best he can without a condensed or expedited final product. Even if his original intent was 16 chapters (or 11 or whatever) that doesn't mean that 14 years later he still considers that to be the ideal number. We just need to continue to put our trust in Suzuki -- which, given recent interviews, seems to be well placed.

This was a great interview!
The guy is really passionate about the role. So happy he'll be back for this as ill definitely be playing in Japanese during my second playthrough.

Oh god, im stupid or there is no japanese audio with subtitles? How can they take interview with the VOICE of Ryo and make english voice over, or japanese without subtitles???????

But reading subtitles is really hard work, you know.

And yes, I'm being extremely sarcastic.

Lol dubbed voice actor.

Cool interview though.

All these hypothetical situations in which Shenmue 3 is bad --- blah. As if it could be. Only bad thing about Shenmue 3 is that I can't play it right now.

I wanted to make a thread on the possibility of ShenHua being a playable character with her own storyline quite a while ago but never got around to it. Pretty cool how we'll being using ShenHua at some points in the game and I think it's a necessary compromise for people who want the mystical (ShenHua) elements of the game seperated from the more realistc path Ryo takes (choosing to fight using martial arts). If the ending of Shenmue 2 (floating sword) and the project Berkley videos (where Shenhua was firing Hadokens) are anything to go by, Shenmue 3 will explore more "mystical" elements.

The character perspective system might give us the chance to explore a completely new, "magical" fighting style through ShenHua. I could see Ryo and ShenHua getting seperated at some point in the game, with Ryo walking down a more realistc path and ShenHua going down a more mystical one. Just a thought, please don't kill me y_y

It was a nice idea. I like the video and will share it. Must admit though, the guy doing the voice over sounds kinda funny. Not bashing the video at all, just my opinion lol. Anyway nicely done

^ Well if you think of something, do it. No time for discussion right now.

This video is great for people who never played the series, I tweeted it out to big name Youtuers and Twitter accounts, hopefully we'll get a RT or two. But you guys should spread it as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5bSkggI5Ps

We have been getting some backlash in China. Somebody here has published my post and it got sent to China and in the translation it was written that we were implying that local kids in Yangshuo are poor. We teach children from all over China and not all of them are impoverished. Yangshuo is not a poor city and the kids in the picture are part of a summer program from bigger cities.

We are in the middle of damage control now. Many of the locals are happy about the exposure. The school has received tremendous attention and we hope it will mean growth for everyone. I'm hoping this gets corrected soon. We are doing a couple interviews with news outlets in the coming days.

Who new one response on a message board could turn into this.


So how much money do you think would be necessary to do such a thing?

It's not expensive. Your biggest cost will be getting here.

Here is the cost comparison for Chicago vs. Guangzhou

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=China&city1=Chicago%2C+IL&city2=Guangzhou

Guangzhou is more expensive than Guilin but you can see how far your money goes there. It's very affordable.

I hope it all works out for you. You seem like such an amazing person. Let us know if theres anything we can do.

I made a tweet about needing a Paypal option on the shenmue.link site after the Kickstarter finishes so we could continue to donate. I sent it out to Yu, Biscay, Corsi and the official S3 page. Biscay has actually favourited it.

yess first one it worked

Great ideas, but I think this might be limited by the fact it is set in rural communist China in the late 1980's.

We all love them... They were just meant to be a simple transition between one area to another, but they became so much more; pretty much a staple of the franchise, infact.

These screens, however, were just a sign of the times - when the hardware couldn't load everything up at once. Completely unlike today with the much bigger open world title's such as GTA V or Skyrim, able to load the world up around you constantly before your eyes without much or any hassle.

With the technology far more advanced from 14 years ago, how many of you believe Yu will keep these load screens in Shenmue 3? Frequent, semi-frequent, or removed entirely?

http://shenmuedojo.net/images/shenmue3/preview/large/Miao_village.jpg

Update #12

Jun 24 2015

Who’s Your Favorite Shenmue Character?


Like
18 likes
Hello Shenmue Backers!

Today we have special backer only poll to see who the most popular Shenmue character is. So confident are we, Ryo? Think you got this one in the bag, do you? We’ll just see now, won’t we?

By voting, the top ranked character will get some VIP treatment in Shenmue 3. Depending on the character, they might get an extended cut scene, a flashback sequence, or a cameo appearance. Or something else entirely?

Click on the link here to vote!

Results will be announced here on the update page, so stay front and center to see which character gets to bathe in the glory of being voted Mr. or Ms. Popular.

More rewards you say? Demand is high for more rewards, so included in the survey is a question for what you would like to see added to the pledge list. What do you want from Santa?

Favorite mini-game? Is there a must-have mini-game that absolutely you cannot live without? Yu-san will see what he can do.

Who will you choose?

Site link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ysnet/shenmue-3


Vote link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2VK22YN

The negative points I see :
- possibility of huge surprising flop (if no PS4 physic disc or no Steam pass, everything is possible)
- Sega still owns the licence and could ask for some % benefits parts that kill the plan according the sales
- Similar case : Slighty Mad Studio still ask for crowdfunding with Project Cars 2 (!).

Could be a stupid question, but what's a steam pass? I've not been into gaming anymore for quite a few years, so I don't really know what's going on.

Not really a job but it could be a mini game to replace darts.

I'd like to see some more "rural tasks" in the open on top of the crate carrying and other stuff in towns.
A lot of good ideas have already been mentioned like fishing, collecting herbs and cutting wood.

Like to see some jobs involving animals. Maybe taming wild horses or even some hunting with traps.
And Ryo has to become a professional duck trainer. Seriously, the duck racing needs to return.
Ah-ha, I hadn't even thought of that! Would be a perfect excuse for the duck racing to return :D

I'd like to see some more "rural tasks" in the open on top of the crate carrying and other stuff in towns.
A lot of good ideas have already been mentioned like fishing, collecting herbs and cutting wood.

Like to see some jobs involving animals. Maybe taming wild horses or even some hunting with traps.
And Ryo has to become a professional duck trainer. Seriously, the duck racing needs to return.

It has already been stated countless times, that if you want the "prequels" remastered you need to contact SEGA since Yu Suzuki doesn't own the first two games. Its also ridiculous to expect a small team to make a remaster on top of Shenmue III.

We're only at that figure because it's been poorly handled. I feel that Suzuki's played his hand far too early, and it all comes across as a rush job. Also, I say about being willing to wait a few more years for the game to ensure it's of a high quality, yet that makes me impatient? Sound logic there pal!

Jesus, lighten up and let other people be positive.

Um, what? When did we enter the anti-matter universe? My whole point was how the negativity is justified. I clearly said that peeps can be positive, negative or neutral. It's the "let's be positive guys" who're tryna quash the negativity. People can read in your part of the country, right?

OP tells people to be positive, you launch into rants spread across 4 pages about how positivity is oppressing your negativity. That's what I read. Oh please... You didn't have to click the topic. As shredingskin said, constructive criticism is one thing - but launching into a round of fucks about how everything is shit is another. We're all aware of the Kickstarter's issues but we should be trying to address them (as many are) and last time I checked, that takes --- you guessed it (or did you?)

Clue: not negativity.

We've seriously been begging for Shenmue 3 for 14-years and now that we are finally getting the game for sure at this point, I cannot believe that people are seriously complaining!

I am not even talking about the management of the KS page or the campaign in general, but people being like "oh, yeah I want Shenmue 3, but won't support it unless they announce a physical PS4 version." Or, "this game will suck if we don't reach 10-million!"

I have way more faith in Suzuki San than to think he'd only ask for 2-million just so he could give us a crap game just to finally shut us up. Apparently some people in the community think this is what he is doing :roll:

I know this is a fraction of the overall community, but it just blows my mind that some people are really complaining at this point. We are getting the game! Be happy! God damn! ](*,)

It was a nice idea. I like the video and will share it. Must admit though, the guy doing the voice over sounds kinda funny. Not bashing the video at all, just my opinion lol. Anyway nicely done :)

I agree, I don't want to sound rude but it feels like he's trying too hard to imitate the deep kind of voice you usually hear in movie trailers. Maybe it would have been better to stick to his real voice.
I'm sorry you didn't like the dub. I've updated the post with a version that doesn't contain one. Feel free to share that one around if you prefer.

Update #13 from Shenmue 3
Jun 24 2015
Shenmue 3 Funding and Budget Statement

There have been many questions concerning Shenmue 3’s budget and what outside sources will be added to the money collected through Kickstarter. I apologize for not having been more forthright in this area and would like to take this opportunity to help clarify the situation.

Ys Net and I have been putting in many long years trying to find a way to bring back a sequel that so many fans have waited so long for. After learning of Kickstarter, I knew it would be possible to get Shenmue 3 started. Wanting to make the best game possible, I also knew that I would have to look to more traditional means to obtain all the funds that would be needed to create the game I had envisioned.

Sony and Shibuya Productions have been wonderful partners because they believe in Shenmue and want to see the best for the fans and the game. Their investment in (and support of) Shenmue have helped to realize a sequel that will stand proud with its predecessors. While it is not business practice to discuss the specific details of such arrangements, I can say that with their assistance on the production and marketing end, and in Sony’s case with some publishing support as well, Ys Net is able to use more of the money we collect through Kickstarter purely for Shenmue 3’s development. It is also important to note that your funds are going strictly to Ys Net for development of Shenmue 3 – Sony and Shibuya Productions are not seeing a cent of your Kickstarter dollars.

The outpouring of support from all of you, the backers, has been so inspirational. I cannot thank you enough. Having reached our funding goal, I am excited to say that the Shenmue story will go on, and our journey with Ryo and Shenhua will continue. Fans will be able to enjoy the sequel they have waited so long for, and newcomers to the series will be introduced to a unique gaming experience.

Of course, like with any Kickstarter, additional funding will only help us make a better game. On top of everything Shenmue 3 will already bring, the Stretch Goals that I have laid out will add extra quests, events, and new gameplay systems that will make the game even more immersive and take the series to the next level. At the $5 million mark, there will be an all new gameplay feature I would be excited to be able to add to the Shenmue legacy. If we should make the $10 million Stretch Goal, a much larger, completely open world will be yours to explore.

Even if these Stretch Goals are not reached, Shenmue 3 will already be a sequel true to its name, and one we can all be proud of. It is my hope though, that together we can make this Shenmue just as revolutionary as the first two were.

I understand this statement may by late in coming. Going forward, we wish to be as open as possible concerning the game’s development. I would like to again ask for your cooperation and support in helping make Shenmue 3 the best that it can be.

Sincerely, Yu Suzuki

https://www.kickstarter.com/activity?ref=nav

Like ive said this week, i just dont get the criticisms or negativity directed towards Shenmue 3.

Its in the hands of Yu and his team. It will be great. End of story.

So lets look at the 10 Million stretch goal as the top shelf, caviar, best case scenario, if money were no object kind of expectation, it would blow the lid of the first 2 games and probably be ALOT different from them as well. I think it would be great to reach, but its still going to be just fine even if the kick starter only does muster around 5 million. I really dont get what some ppls issues are, they clearly had a plan and budget and reasonable expectations before putting all this into motion. I wish some ppl around here would just relax about it and enjoy the ride instead...

We'll get the 10M. After the KS, we will have about 2 and a half years time to get there through Paypal. Cheer up, every one! :) Let's just make the KS the best we can and AFTER that is done we will have enough time to discuss what to do. :)

Oh, and just in case I forgot to mention it: Shenmue 3 is coming!!! :king:

I guess my question for all the people saying that the complaining about Shenmue 3 is justified is, do you actually think Yu would have ever agreed or wanted to make this game in any way if he knew the resources available to him could only result in a mediocre or shit game?

I am 100% certain that the answer is no, but maybe others will disagree with me. Yu seems just as passionate about this series as we are as fans, and when he came up with the 2-million minimum funding I'm sure he knew he could make a game all of us fans would love, even with such a relatively small amount. I want to see more in the game, as do all of you, and so does Suzuki San, but even given the current amount of funding I'm sure we'll get a great game.

It was a nice update and I hope he updates the kickstarter page regularly now (just to keep people interested and happy)

I'm refusing to comment on anymore negative threads on the forum from now on, I get people's frustration but it's just dam annoying.

Shenmue 3 is happening so anymore stet h goals we reach is a big bonus we should be thankful for

We'll get the 10M. After the KS, we will have about 2 and a half years time to get there through Paypal. Cheer up, every one! :) Let's just make the KS the best we can and AFTER that is done we will have enough time to discuss what to do. :)

Oh, and just in case I forgot to mention it: Shenmue 3 is coming!!! :king:
If the money pledged really is just for development then they'd need the majority of that $10m a hell of a lot sooner than 2 years down the line though...

We shouldn't be too worried about that. If the fans can generate an influx of, let's say, $50k per month that could be of great help with the development as a lot of the dev costs will be paid monthly (e. g., the wages). On top of that, with like 5 million from the Kickstarter in their pocket, I think it could be possible for Ys to get like a 5 million loan and pay that back monthly, using our paypal money and later, if needed, some of the money made from the sales.

But keep in mind that I'm just speculating and throwing around figures. No one of us knows how much money Ys have right now. Anyway, I'm just trying to tell people to cheer up and have a little more faith. We as the Shenmue community have fought for this moment for 14 years. We've already come a long, long way. We've made S3 a reality. Some of us have been waiting on this moment for almost their entire lifes and we won't just let this opportunity go.

This is our last shot and we will make it! Believe in ourselves, believe in Yu! :D

They "should" use the original faces used in the passport, or in the original official art, thats wha I do with my fanart, even If they have lost the original assets, they could rip some of the faces to use as a reference for the models, as many of us have been doing.


http://i.imgur.com/4OUmXyj.jpg

Guys, the graphic is from Google.ca and they surely forgot to add "Shenmue" search written in Chinese and Japanese ideograms. ;)