Shenmue III publishing rights transfer to ININ Games, which is ready to ‘shepherd’ the game ‘into its next phase’

The publishing rights to Shenmue III have transferred from Deep Silver to ININ Games. The German publisher promises to “shepherd Shenmue III into its next phase,” making it more accessible to everyone.

That’s a good thing. It’s been five years since Shenmue III launched, and it’s currently only available for users on PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. With ININ taking the reigns, we can assume the publisher plans to bring Shenmue III to many more platforms, such as PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and maybe even Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile.

Will Ryo Hazuki’s journey continue?

Shenmue as a franchise has a turbulent history — to say the very least. The original game launched on Dreamcast in 1999 in Japan and 2000 everywhere else. Its sequel dropped onto European and Japanese Dreamcasts in 2001 but didn’t arrive on American shores until Microsoft helped port it to the Xbox in 2002. A cult hit but a financial disaster, Shenmue was left in limbo until series creator Yu Suzuki revealed a Kickstarter for Shenmue III in 2015. The game launched four years later, but things have been quiet ever since.

But that’s not to say that fans have stopped asking for a Shenmue IV so they can continue the story. On June 4, 2024, the fan site Shenmue Dojo purchased ad space for a 15-second advertisement in New York City’s Times Square. Since then, the site owners and fans have spread Shenmue IV awareness on X on the fourth day of every month with the hashtag #LetsGetShenmue4.

So, what does the change of hands mean for Shenmue’s future? Hopefully, something positive. In the announcement, ININ writes that it’s “honored to carry the Shenmue torch forward” and that “the story of Shenmue is far from over.”

“We have exciting plans to celebrate these anniversaries, ensuring that this beloved series continues to thrive and inspire,” reads the announcement. “Keep an eye out for upcoming announcements as we unveil our vision for the next phase of Shenmue‘s legacy.”

That doesn’t sound so bad at all.