'Shenmue 3' Nintendo Switch Petition: Upcoming Game and Hybrid Console Is a Match Made in Heaven

By Gracezyl Blanco, Tuesday, March 14, 2017

The upcoming "Shenmue 3" game is currently being petitioned to be released on the new hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch. The petition was initiated by the Shenmue500K Team and is addressed to the game's developer and publisher, YS Net.

As of this writing, the petition on Change.org has 209 supporters and aims to get at least 500 before being forwarded to YS Net.

The main reason why "Shenmue 3" is being petitioned for a Nintendo Switch release is because of the hybrid console's similarity with the SEGA Dreamcast controllers that worked well for the first two installments of the game.

Petitioners described it as "the closest we will ever get to a 'Dreamcast 2' with the same level of love and detail, basically the same controller and level of innovation," adding that the game and console "is a match made in heaven."

In addition, the first two "Shenmue" games are going to get a remastered version, which is initially set for a 2017 release date though this is not confirmed yet, and reports also indicate that it might be pushed back to a 2018 date.

Fans, however, expect that the remastered editions will be released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Meanwhile, "Shenmue 3" is still in the works, and it is currently expected to have a December release. The game took the crowdfunding route, as the "Shenmue" franchise had a low number of players in the past despite it being a critically acclaimed game.

Its crowdfunding campaign, however, gathered a total of $6.6 million by November 2016, with a total of 73,000 backers across different crowdfunding platforms.

The third installment is developed by the franchise's key developing team, which is led by game writer, Yu Suzuki.

Suzuki reportedly visited China last November 2015 to gather ideas and research about martial arts, traditional clothing, and possible locations for "Shenmue 3." The game will follow teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he goes on a journey to China in the 1980s to locate his father's killer.