To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Shenmue series, the Japanese magazine Famitsu brought together key figures who helped shape the franchise for a chat. From former programmers to designers, all were instrumental in the series’ early success. Among them was SEGA’s Sonic Team head Eigo Kasahara, who used to work as the planning director for Shenmue 1 and 2. He mentioned that the Like a Dragon or Yakuza team would be a perfect fit for a Shenmue 4.
During their talk, Famitsu asked a loaded question: “If a Shenmue 4 were to be made, would you want to be involved?” Although it was first met with silence, they all quickly replied that the staff had always wanted to see the story through to its conclusion.
“There have been many revisions of [Shenmue‘s] scenario, but if there is a sequel, I hope they plan to see it through to the end,” reminisced Kenji Miyawaki, character and UI designer for the original games.
But the most tantalizing comment came from the SEGA executive himself. Kasahara suggested that if the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio — best known for the Yakuza series– were to develop Shenmue 4, it would be ‘really awesome.’
“I’m a SEGA employee, but I’ll just blurt this out randomly,” said Kasahara with a laugh. “If the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is making it, I think it will be a really awesome Shenmue.”
It quickly sparked speculation, as RGG Studio has a proven track record of delivering narrative-driven open-world games, making them an ideal candidate. Second, the studio is now tasked with the new Virtua Fighter; the fighting game series itself was first conceived as a ‘Shenmue RPG.’ Third, the developers have actually been sprinkling some references to Shenmue in their own games.
One of the Substories in Yakuza 4 mentioned Ryoko Hazuki, a female twist on Shenmue‘s protagonist name. Meanwhile, in Infinite Wealth, a podcast host said he met a strange kid who often asked him about ‘a place where sailors hang out.’ He added that the guy wears a ‘striking leather jacket’ adorned with ‘a tiger on the back,’ which matches Ryo Hazuki’s appearance to a tee. You can hear it yourself from Reddit user RelaxAlixx recording below.
Whether or not this means RGG Studios giving out a signal that it’s ready to take on Shenmue 4, only time and SEGA will tell. Still, With Shenmue 3‘s cliffhanger ending leaving fans hungry for more, the possibility of the Yakuza developer stepping in might be the shake-up the franchise needs.
