Cult classic seriesShenmuehas seen something of a revival in the last few years, with the upcomingShenmue 3being a successful crowdfunding project and now havingan official release date, while the first two games have been recently released on PS4, Xbox One and PC. However, the series' lack of presence on the Nintendo Switch has unexpectedly generated something of a demand to see Ryo Hazaki’s adventures be made available on the home console/handheld hybrid. While the possibility of the remasters releasing on the console was originally shot down, Sega localization team members have since suggested otherwise.
In an interview with 4Gamer, Hiroji Noguchi stated, “The fans have really shown their love forShenmue– and for that, I really am grateful. Personally, I think it’d be great if you could playShenmueon the Switch anywhere.” Fellow team member Eigo Kasahara followed that up with, “Whether or not we can do something like that in reality, we’re taking the fan’s opinions into consideration. Following up on that might take some time, but it’s definitely something I want to consider.” While this is by no means an official confirmation, the prospect is nonetheless exciting.
The first twoShenmuegames may be considered dated by some, but they’re clearly still beloved by long-time fans. And should those games get Switch releases, maybeShenmue 3will arrive on it too so Nintendo players can experience the whole trilogy themselves.
Shenmue 3was first announced at E3 2015, and after a few delays,is seemingly well on its way to release next year. But while this will no doubt wrap up this trilogy and see Ryo’s story come to an end, this doesn’t necessarily make it the lastShenmuegame, with series creator Yu Suzuki confirming thatShenmue 3’s ending will leave things open fora potential sequel.
Shenmue3is currently set to be released in August 27th 2019 on PS4 and PC.ShenmueI + IIare both currently available on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
