Shenmue 3 is exclusive to the Epic Games Store, gets a new trailer (updated)

Update: In a Kickstarter post, Ys Net has confirmed that Shenmue 3 will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC: "Shenmue III for PC will be will be an Epic Games Store exclusive. Development for Shenmue III has been moving forward using Unreal Engine and the support we have received from Epic has been excellent. But most importantly, in looking for the most enjoyable experience on PC, it was decided together with Deep Silver after much discussion that the Epic Games Store would be the best distribution platform option."

Revealed by PC Gaming Show sponsor Epic Games, Shenmue 3 will be releasing on the Epic Games Store—though whether it will be launching only on the Epic store we don't yet know. Creator Yu Suzuki appeared on stage at the PC Gaming Show briefly to thank fans and introduce the new trailer, but didn't address this new development. But if you watch the trailer above, you can clearly see the Epic Games Store logo and no logo for Steam.

We have reached out to publisher Deep Silver and Epic Games for clarity and will update this story when we know more.

If Shenmue 3 is now an Epic exclusive (it'll also be on PlayStation 4), that will undoubtedly upset many of its PC fans. Though the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign never promised which marketplace its PC version would be available on (it's always said that backers can choose a "Windows PC" version of the game), its system requirements have frequently mentioned requiring Steam. A Kickstarter community update on June 4 still lists Steam as a requirement, so it could be that Shenmue 3 is simply launching on both platforms simultaneously and isn't an Epic Games Store exclusive.

Update: Commenters have kindly shown us screenshots of a recent Kickstarter survey that asked which version, Steam or PS4, of Shenmue 3 backers would like to receive.

As for the trailer itself, it looked pretty rough. I've admittedly never played Shenmue, so maybe the clunky graphics and dialogue stick out to me more than they will fans of the series, but it's hard to believe this is a game that's been in development for nearly four years. Maybe its recent delay to November will give it the extra time it needs.

Watch the trailer above and let us know what you think in the comments, and we'll update this story when we have more info.

TOPICS

With over 7 years of experience with in-depth feature reporting, Steven's mission is to chronicle the fascinating ways that games intersect our lives. Whether it's colossal in-game wars in an MMO, or long-haul truckers who turn to games to protect them from the loneliness of the open road, Steven tries to unearth PC gaming's greatest untold stories. His love of PC gaming started extremely early. Without money to spend, he spent an entire day watching the progress bar on a 25mb download of the Heroes of Might and Magic 2 demo that he then played for at least a hundred hours. It was a good demo.