Sega explains why Shenmue remakes haven't happened yet (original) (raw)
"We haven't given it a green light, but it has our full attention."
Sega has said it is "looking into" remasters of the first two Shenmue games.
Despite interest from both fans and Sega itself, the holdup lies with the games' scope, their age - the original Shenmue was released on Dreamcast back in 1999 - as well as licensing issues.
"The issue is that it is a big game. It is a project from many years ago," Sega Europe boss told MCV.
"If we are to do it, we'd want to do a fantastic conversion to the current platforms, and there are a lot of licences in the game, which were cleared many years ago, so we will need to renegotiate those contracts."
He added: "We are looking into it. We haven't given it a green light, but it has our full attention."
Post said the series is at the top of Sega's most requested classic games - which makes sense after last year's successful Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign broke records as the highest-funded video game project.
"There is definitely a desire [to go back to our classic games]," he explained. "Even online, people are constantly talking about products they would like to see come back, and Shenmue 1 and 2 are probably in the top two places. We are looking into it.
"It is an old IP, it is a beloved IP - and not just by consumers, but also within Sega, we have people saying that if we could do Shenmue 1 and 2 all over again, we'd definitely go for it."
Over the years, fans have worked on their own Shenmue remakes. One project has been remaking the original game with HD assets, and another recreated the Hazuki residence in Unreal Engine 4.
Shenmue 3 is being handled outside of Sega by series creator Yu Suzuki's Ys Net studio and Shibuya Productions, and is currently scheduled for late 2017 on PS4 and PC. The latest update on development showcased a handful of new screens from the game's opening Bailu Village area.
If you want to know why Shenmue is so revered by fans, then read Martin's piece on what makes Shenmue 2's open world so special.