Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Shenmue III Release Date Pushed Into 2019
Shenmue III publisher Deep Silver has announced that the game is being delayed until an unspecified date in 2019. The Yu Suzuki title was originally scheduled to come out in 2017, before its release was moved to later this year.
In a short statement creator said: "To all of our backers, we are very sorry for the delay. After much discussion with our partners, Deep Silver, we have concluded that extending the release will allow us to deliver Shenmue III at its best. We promise to use this time to improve the quality of Shenmue III."
Back when the game was delayed into 2018, Suzuki said the team was using new tech to improve the game. In the fall of last year, a trailer for the title received criticism for showing characters with static facial expressions, which prompted the developer to put out a Kickstarter update showing that the characters' faces in the game can indeed emote. Whether the new delay is related to the new tech or the faces or anything specific is unknown.
Shenmue III isn't the only Deep Silver-published title to be delayed recently – the company also just announced that Metro Exodus will release in the first quarter of 2019.
[Source: Deep Silver and Shenmue III Kickstarter]
Our Take
Given the development challenges the game has already faced, taking more time with the title is not bad.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
