'Shenmue 3' Coming to Xbox One? [Release Date, Gameplay & Rumors]

When "Shenmue" creator Yu Suzuki first announced the next installment in the franchise, fans across the world rejoiced. Half of those fans where then silenced when the Japanese director announced it was going to be a PlayStation 4 exclusive.

However, in a recent interview with Dual Shockers, Suzuki announced that there might be a slight chance that the highly anticipated game will find its way to the Xbox One eventually. While the answer was coy at best, Sony may find the answer disturbing since they are the ones helping Suzuki with publishing and production.

It is clear that fans do want to see the game made as the kickstarter campaign was able to reach its initial goal of USD2 million in less than 12 hours. Overall, the kickstarter campaign raised over USD5 million, which is the record for any independent game to date. Game Spot reports that this kickstarter money will not go to Sony at all but instead be fully invested into "Shenmue 3."

Since a lot of the funding for "Shenmue 3" has come from the kickstarter campaign, many are still hoping that this could the chance that Xbox One users have to see the title become available for their console of choice.

Suzuki also answered questions about ownership of the Game's IP as "technically", it is still owned by Sega, and many have wondered if the gaming company has had any involvement in the independent developed sequel. Suzuki has said the logistics for that are a bit complicated, but Sega has given him the rights to make choices for the game since he created it and he would know more about the workings of "Shenmue" more than anyone else.

If "Shenmue 3" does eventually go to the Xbox One, it wouldn't be the first the series has jumped gaming consoles. The first "Shenmue" was originally a Sega Dreamcast exclusive, while the sequel was originally made for the Dreamcast before making its way to the original Xbox back in 2002. Now, almost 15 years later, the long-awaited sequel is currently only going to be available for the PlayStation 4 and PC.

Suzuki has confirmed that the game will be using an Unreal Engine for its graphics and gameplay, and is currently expected for release around Christmas of 2017.

A lot can change from now to then, so Xbox One users shouldn't be too sad as there still is a possibility that "Shenmue 3" will be available for them.