Shenmue III developer, Ys Net, has decided to give you another chance to give them money. The game’s Kickstarter ended in July, but they have set up a “Slacker Backer” campaign that will run through the end of this year.
This second campaign is setup very similarly to the previous one on Kickstarter, allowing backers to pledge varying amounts of money, getting them different rewards. For example, the $29 tier will get you a digital version of the game for PS4 or you can pony up $60 for a physical game. The highest tier at $8,000 will earn the backer the original leather jacket worn the main character’s actor, Masaya Matsukaze, at press events. For those who already supported the game on Kickstarter, Ys Net promises “add-ons and upgrades” to their rewards, but those have yet to be detailed.
The developer claims to be making this move due to consumer demand. “There are so many people told us they could not pledge on Kickstarter, or could not make the deadline, and have asked for a PayPal page for another opportunity to contribute to Shenmue III,” they explained in a Kickstarter update.
The goals that this new campaign is working towards include those that were not reached during the Kickstarter campaign, such as ragdoll systems in combat, expanded areas, and additional mini-games. Ys Net claims no additional money was needed, it is solely to build a deeper game. “While the full game will be completed as promised with the use of the funding collected on Kickstarter, any additional funding collected here will go towards reaching the stretch goals to make the game even bigger and deeper,” the developer said.
Ys Net hopes to keep the game on track, saying, “The three-month window was set to allow a long enough time for everyone who wants to support Shenmue III to do so, but short enough to keep the release date on track.” Of course, as more features are being added, so is development time. In the FAQ section of the new campaign page, Ys Net explains, “A rigorous budget and schedule has been worked out with our production team and we believe our target of 2017 holiday season is within reach. That said, our goal is to make the best game possible (and one that fans want!) so please understand the schedule may change as the project evolves. Frequent updates will be posted on the update page.”
What do you think of the move by the Shenmue III developer? Will this improve the game or will it just lengthen the development timeline? Let us know in the comments below!