Dreamcast Sales Have Risen Since Shenmue 3 Announcement

The Kickstarter has ended and the shock of the E3 announcement has since worn off. However the road until Shenmue 3‘s release has only just begun and it seems the sheer scale of just how much interest exists for this game continues to be realized even now. So much so that news has been revealed talking about the sales of SEGA Dreamcast rising, the console that Shenmue 1 and 2 were released on.

Sales of pre-owned Dreamcast consoles have ‘gone through the roof’ since Shenmue III was announced at E3. 

Indie retailers have told MCV that sales of Sega’s last console have skyrocketed since the LA-based trade show. 

That’s in addition to software sales of the original two Shenmue games, as well as retro copies of Final Fantasy VII. A remake to the latter was also unveiled at E3. 

“We sold 20 Dreamcasts in the last week alone,” said Alex Bowness of Canterbury’s Level Up Games. “All of sudden, people are asking where they can play the original two Shenmue games. The announcement of Shenmue III really piqued everyone’s interest.”

Reload Games Michael Wealleans added: “People are trying to get hold of the original copies of Shenmue and Final Fantasy VII, even if they don’t have the console to play it on. They just want it in their collection. But with that demand, the price has gone up.”

The article goes on to give one motive for the sudden rise in sales:

David James-Turvey of Llanelli’s Retrobution adds that this renewed popularity is also driven by the fact that Sega has yet to launch HD Shenmue titles.

“Sega has really lost out on a load of digital sales by not releasing HD versions, so naturally indies like myself are the only place that would satisfy that itch to get back into these titles,” he said.

“I’ve had more customers hyped about Shenmue III than Call of Duty, and I am glad there are gamers out there like this, because it proves that gaming is not as disposable as other forms of entertainment. Indies should be confident in their physical stock.

“Dreamcast sales have come from nowhere almost, what’s exciting now is that young gamers who perhaps didn’t even know what the Dreamcast was are interested in it.”

It is quite an interesting result to come from Shenmue 3’s announcement. If there was any time for the HD versions of previous Shenmue installments to come out, that time is now.

This post was originally written by the author for TSSZ News.