Yu Suzuki Still Wants To Make Shenmue 3

The newest Shenmue title may be a Mafia Wars-inspired social game, but that doesn't mean the series' director Yu Suzuki has given up on the possibility of a full-blown sequel.

In an interview with Famitsu (translation via Andriasang), Suzuki stated that his plans for the future of the Shenmue series do not end with the upcoming launch of Shenmue City. "Shenmue has the image of grand scale...But making something of grand scale requires appropriate preparation. I want to make [Shenmue] 3 with the same volume as in the past. There have actually been a lot of requests from fans for 3 as well. There were even petitions signed by by tens of thousands of people. I wanted to carry out my obligations for the series."

Whether fans will see a third installment of the series will likely depend on the success of Shenmue City, but Suzuki thinks that given the chance, he could come up with a satisfying conclusion to the series -- and it wouldn't take another nine titles to do it. "It would be possible to finish the entire story in a single game if we were to show just the highlights and skip over parts," Suzuki stated. "If given the chance, I'd have to think about the scale and the time frame. The Shenmue essence is, of course, in the scenarios I've made. I'd have to think how to make something from them."

Perhaps the biggest question is whether interest in the series remains as high as it was a decade ago, or if fans have moved on. Would you buy Shenmue 3 if given the opportunity?