Shenmue: The Movie

Shenmue is an action-adventure game series created, produced and directed by Yu Suzuki. Shenmue (1999) and Shenmue II (2001) were developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega for Dreamcast. In 2002, Shenmue II was released in North America and Europe on Xbox. Shenmue III, developed by Suzuki's company Ys Net, was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows in 2019. The Shenmue games consist of open-world 3D environments interspersed with brawler battles and quick time events. They include elements of role-playing, life simulation and social simulations games, such as day-and-night systems, variable weather effects, and non-player characters with daily schedules, and interactive elements such as vending machines, arcades and minigames. The player controls the teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he travels through 1980s Japan and China in pursuit of his father's killer. The original Shenmue was the most expensive video game ever developed at the time, with an estimated production and marketing cost of US$47 to $70 million, though some of the development also covered Shenmue II. The games attracted a cult following, but were commercial failures. A social game, Shenmue City, was launched in Japan in 2010 and discontinued in 2011. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, Suzuki developed Shenmue III independently. It was released for the PlayStation 4 and Windows in 2019. Shenmue and Shenmue II received mostly positive reviews and have been included in lists of the greatest games. Critics praised their graphics, soundtrack, realism and ambition, but criticized their controls, slow pace and voice acting, and the focus on mundane detail divided players. They are credited for pioneering systems including quick time events and open worlds. Shenmue III received mixed reviews for its similarity to the earlier games. An anime adaptation of Shenmue, co-produced by Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, premiered in 2022. Suzuki expressed his hope to develop Shenmue IV.