Hyo Razuki wrote: I think you need to look at it this way. The $2M was the "temperature test". If we had not even made that, then whoever is behind this project (apart from Sony and Shibuya) would have bailed out because they would have thought there was no more audience for S3 after 14 years.
The stretch goals are things Yu wants in the game which the related businesses refused to fund. Like for instance they might have said "We're past the budget. We don't need the Skill Tree. Fighting mechanics are fine without it, it has to go."
But Yu still wants those things that got cut out by his investors in the game so he is trying to fund them through Kickstarter in order to make it a - in his words - "FULL-ON Shenmue experience".
I'm sorry, in all respect, but your way of thinking about this is wrong.
The 2 million was more then a "temperature test" it is absolutely needed for development reasons. All of the money is. Yu Suzuki stated in a recent famitsu article that the kickstarter funds are the primary source of funding. Sony are assisting with any development needs for the PS4 and obviously marketing (E3 was the start).
But Sony are NOT bankrolling Shenmue 3. They do not have secret huge funding behind the scenes according to Yu Suzuki. The kickstarter stretch goals are very much a necessity for development and even just paying the basic bills like paying employee's.
Dont read the click bait articles out there.