Chinese Interview with Shenmue III’s Yu Suzuki Posted

We have another Shenmue 3 interview to share with you, this time from Yu Suzuki himself. It was held in China and the whole interview was translated from Chinese to English by Shenmue Dojo:

Q: Master Yu, when did you first meet up with master Lui Lian Zhi – was it 1991 or 1994? On what did you two first collaborate, was it working on Virtua Fighter 1 or 2?
Yu: The first time we met was 1993. Our first time working together was for VF2.

Q. Will Shenmue 3 have Chinese subs?
Yu: We are looking into it at the moment.

Q. In the near future, do you have any plan to release a fighting game similar to VF? Or to work with Sega for the next installment of the game?
Yu: Right now Daichi Katagari is the one who is overseeing the VF games. I handed over the games to him 100%. I will not be working with Sega for another VF game. But I might develop a brand new fighting game of my own.

Q: How many more Shenmue games are there until the end of the story?
Yu: There is a total of 11 chapters. Shenmue 3 will be chapters 5 and 6.

Q: Will everyone who donated for the game have to wait until near the release date to have their address and version of the game confirmed?
Yu: When the time comes we will send out an email to everyone. Please keep an eye on your mailbox.

Q: Can you use Chinese characters for all the Chinese people who donated for the game, in the “Thank you” credits at the end of the game?
Yu: All the credits will be in Roman characters.

Q: Will Shenmue 3 follow the same formula as Shenmue 1 and 2? In your opinion, what is the biggest difference with Shenmue 3? And what is the key selling point to attract new players to the game?
Yu:
1. Shenmue 3 will follow in the footsteps of Shenmue 1 and 2. It will keep what makes Shenmue Shenmue. For example, real-time full voice acting.
2. Shenmue 3 will be a more of an “open world” game so player can explore more places.
3. Towards the later half of the game, there will be a brand new way to play the game to attract new players. But the details are a secret.

Q: Will there ever be a spin-off of Shenmue, such as Shenmue 0?
Yu: No, not at the moment… [laughs]

Q: Is there any plan to release an Outrun-like racing game in the future?
Yu: We do have plans to release such a game.

Q: Will Shenmue 3 have an online feature?
Yu: There is no plan for any online feature for Shenmue 3.

This post was written by the author for TSSZ News.