Sony has just confirmed that now that the Kickstarter goal has been reached they are in fact helping with funding and development of Shenmue 3

[poklane]

Well, no shit. Did anybody think that Shenmue 3 would be possible with just $2million? The Kickstarter was just an easy way to see if there's indeed enough interest in Shenmue 3, and while they are at it they can even save some money on the project via crowdfunding it partially.