Shenmue fans are upset with the latest Kickstarter update on the progress of Shenmue III. The main point of contention causing outrage is the lack of a timetable for promised refunds for backers who want their money back.
Yesterday, July 25, developers posted an update of the progress of Shenmue III on the game’s Kickstarter page. The post details several new rewards for the game’s backers, including exclusive capsule machine prizes and costume options as well as a rundown of the required specs for the PC version of the game.
The update made no mention of the refunds promised to backers who became upset last month when the Shenmue III team announced that the game would be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC until one year after launch. This outrage came despite the fact that the initial Kickstarer pitch was not specific about any PC distribution method. Another point of contention was the fact that the initial Kickstarter promised some backers exclusive first access to the game followed by a limited demo being made available to select members of the press before it was available to those backers.
Naturally, the response to the update on Twitter quickly turned negative. With angry backers piling on, accusing YSnet and Neilo, the game’s developers, of dragging their feet on the refunds, or outright theft. But also some others accusing the Shenmue team of deliberately fast-tracking new rewards to devalue the refund, and pleading with Kickstarter, of all companies, to step in.
The Kickstarter for Shenmue III was launched from the Sony E3 press conference stage two years ago in 2018 but the project actually began in 2015. In the three years between the start of production and the Kickstarter announcement the project floundered until the game was widely expected to be cancelled. Then the Kickstarter campaign injected much needed funds back into the project. Then Shenmue III started to flag again and Epic Games, makers of Fortnite, offered yet more funding in exchange for one year of exclusivity on the Epic Store. This exclusivity agreement has become a lightning rod for criticism of Shenmue III.
The Epic Games Store and launcher has been a source of outrage in parts the gaming community since its launch. Some players are upset by the perceived creeping return of exclusivity to the PC ecosystem. Others decry the Epic Store’s lack of features compared to Steam. So the toxicity surrounding the exclusivity of Shenmue III was probably to be expected.
