Remember me
|
I’m laughing, but last night a potentially fake trailer for Shenmue 4 was posted to the Shenmue Dojo, a dedicated fan forum. I say “potentially”, as even eagle-eyed fans can’t decide whether or not it’s AI-generated.
Over on Reddit, the GamingLeaksandRumors forum has labeled it “False”. In the age of generators like OpenAI’s Sora 2, which completely decimates the blurred line between fact and fiction in some cases, there’s obviously debate over the legitimacy of the video. Whoever put this together was acutely aware of AI’s limitations.
Is this Shenmue 4? Probably notEagle-eyed fans have noticed there are some discrepancies within the footage, like AI “noise”, where the generator adds a fuzz to the images. It’s also been shot off a TV with a low-quality camera, possibly to hide the fact that it’s AI-generated.
Shenmue fans over on the Shenmue Dojo have also determined that this is probably an AI-generated video. From our perspective, the video feels like an elaborate fan prank, one that I don’t think we’ll get an answer for any time soon.
The Escapist has reached out to Ys Net, but I highly doubt we’ll get a response on the matter. The video is purportedly to be shown at The Game Awards, which airs on December 11. So, if this trailer airs live on December 11, I guess I’ll put myself through Shenmue’s trilogy, despite it being one of the most overblown series of all time.
Originally launched on the Dreamcast, Shenmue was, without a doubt, one of the most important games on the platform. If you’ve never played it, but did play Red Dead Redemption 2 and thought it was a bit too tedious with its replication of realism, Shenmue is that bit worse.
It’s an action-adventure game that often takes the player down an eclectic mix of side activities. Mahjong, forklift work, martial arts, and the like. The series was overly ambitious and eventually went dormant after Shenmue 2. Reports indicate that the series was just too expensive for where Sega was at in the late 90s.
Shenmue already had its white whale momentSega eventually allowed director Yu Suzuki to go forth and use the license. This led to E3 2015, where not only was Final Fantasy 7 Remake announced, but so was the elusive third Shenmue game.
One of the biggest white whales in gaming, Shenmue 3, was eventually released in 2017 to a muted response. That’s a polite way to say that Shenmue 3 was not reviewed well, nor received especially well by players. It turns out trying to make Shenmue decades after it didn’t work out the first two times isn’t the best idea.
Shenmue was originally pitched as a multipart extravaganza, with the idea that it’d be “11 parts”. Revisions to this have combined multiple parts in the current releases, like the second game, which is actually chapters 3 to 6.
If a fourth game turns out to be real, I don’t think I can say I’ll eat my hat. I can’t wear hats, my head is too big. However, I’m sure the team will find something for me to do as I struggle with the first three games. Maybe I’ll get a local martial artist to beat me up while screaming Shenmue in my face.
The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy