By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Gaming Discussion - Why I'm not happy about the Shenmue III Kickstarter

gabzjmm23 on 16 June 2015
Hiku said:
Bloodstained is doing the same thing. The majority of it will not be funded by the Kickstarter money.

It may be a prerequisite that the actual main investors demand to see that it garners the interest warranted in taking the risk of funding the game. Because let's face it, they are considered risks, or they would have been made a long time ago.

but it is known that Sony, MS and Nintendo didn't backed them up upfront.  hence a kickstarter happened.  it is somewhat different with the Shenmue scenario.



Around the Network
NiKKoM on 16 June 2015

I think its bad for the smaller kickstarter projects who need and deserve the money more then an AAA ip.. drains the money and exposere from them..



 

Face the future.. Gamecenter ID: nikkom_nl (oh no he didn't!!) 

ArchangelMadzz on 16 June 2015

This kickstarter ignited the Shenmue flame like nothing else.



There's only 2 races: White and 'Political Agenda'
2 Genders: Male and 'Political Agenda'
2 Hairstyles for female characters: Long and 'Political Agenda'
2 Sexualities: Straight and 'Political Agenda'

S.T.A.G.E. on 16 June 2015
Curmudgeon said:

Let me start by saying that I've played the first game in the series back in the day and I thought it was really good. A Shenmue 3 announcement therefore was a welcome surprise to me. However, I'm a bit bothered by the Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is platform that, in my opinion, should be used as a funding platform. People have this great concept, but lack the money to make it a reality. The way I see it when talking about games, is that it is a way for indie/small developers to gather the funds required to make their game.

Enter Shenmue III. A big megaton sequel to a very expensive game. Obviously backed by gaming giant Sony who most likely have or will pay a large part of the development costs with it being exclusive. And they can easily afford it. So why the kickstarter, if funding won't be the problem? (we all know the game will cost much more then 2 million anyway)

It seems like they are abusing Kickstarter as a marketing tool, and to test public interest. People are not funding a game, it more like they are funding the marketing of a hugely anticipated game supported by one of the biggest gaming companies around, and persuaded into ****** preorders because they want the game to be 'funded'. It seems gaming is moving towards a system of paying up front and hoping for the best when the game releases, some weird market mechanic in which we increasingly buy games based purely on promises instead of results. Somewhat understandable in the case of projects that would have no possibility of being made without those resources, but it worries me that the bigger and bigger players seem to join. What next, kickstarters for God of War and Metroid?  

Maybe you guys think I'm paranoid or maybe you're too just happy about Shenmue III, but I don't see this as a healthy development in the game industry. At least not for gamers.


 They were actually smart to do this. Its a huge risk to fund such a niche game like Shen Mue yourself without it yeilding results. The Kickstarter is helping them gauge intrest as well as make it a reality. Perhaps they will meet us half way if we show interest.



Multishanks on 16 June 2015

I agree with the OP. This is a slippery slippery slope. This is pretty exploitive of the fandom behind a game that has had a huge following for years.

What makes me uneasy is that clearly someone thinks this is a sound investment because they wouldn't have received the license to begin with from Sega if that weren't the case.

Guys i love the game but remember your dollars speak to these guys, so choose what youbsay carefully.



Around the Network
sc94597 on 16 June 2015

I'm happy Sony isn't funding it (at least not entirely) because I can then play the PC version. Also I consider kick-starter more like pre-buying than funding.



MoHasanie on 16 June 2015

It did seem weird. It's not something I'd like to see at a official E3 conference. Maybe they could have mentioned it later after the conference was done, but begging people for many for a third party game is not something I like or support.



    

NNID: FrequentFlyer54

UltimateUnknown on 16 June 2015

I think Sony or whoever else that is actually funding this game were apprehensive about whether the fanbase was actually there for such an old franchise and it wasn't just a vocal minority.

The record-breaking kickstarter should put those worries to the rest. I think this may actually be a viable way of putting out classics and innovative experiences that publishers may be apprehensive about backing. Big games like Call of Duty won't need kickstarter because publishers know they'll sell. This is more of just people pre-ordering the game way in advance, which is risky but sometimes necessary for these niche games that would otherwise not be made.



 

osed125 on 16 June 2015
NiKKoM said:
I think its bad for the smaller kickstarter projects who need and deserve the money more then an AAA ip.. drains the money and exposere from them..

I agree with this. With all the Kickstarters recently I think we will start to see a trend...unless a game comes from a "famous" ex-developer or has a "AAA" type marketing like Shenmue III, all other games are destined to fail in their campaigns.

Could be wrong but that's my hunch.



Nintendo and PC gamer

OdinHades on 16 June 2015

Think about it this way: Sony will be more than happy to publish Shenmue 3 on PS4. But they won't publish it on PC. So who is going to pay for the PC port? Kickstarter backers!

although that is just pure speculation. Nobody knows what's really going on in the end. I'm just happy it's happening at all.



Official member of VGC's Nintendo family, approved by the one and only RolStoppable. I feel honored.