Shenmue Remasters Could Be in the Works
By Dalton Cooper 04 January 2017
Sega of Europe registers a pair of online domain names that tease the possibility of the original Shenmue games being remastered for current-generation consoles.
Before Shenmue III was announced at E3 2015, Shenmue fans went over a decade without any hope of Sega continuing the franchise. Now Shenmue III has broken Kickstarter records and is well on its way to launching later this year. Besides Shenmue III, however, fans of the series may have even more to look forward to in 2017, such as HD remasters of the original Shenmue games.
Fan site Sega Nerds has discovered that Sega of Europe has registered online domain names for Shenmue Remastered and Shenmue HD, suggesting that the first game, and possibly its sequel, are being remastered for modern consoles. At the time of this writing, Sega has yet to release a statement on the matter, but if Shenmue remasters are in the works, fans should be able to expect an announcement soon.
While it seems like Sega is prepping for an announcement of Shenmue remasters, it’s worth noting that companies register domain names for games that never materialize all the time. It’s really a way to protect the domain name just in case the company decides to create the game in the future, so it’s possible that Shenmue remasters aren’t in development at Sega right now at all, but rather Sega of Europe is covering its bases.
It’s true that domain names are often registered by game companies as a precautionary measure, but even so, Shenmue remasters seem like a distinct possibility. Sega has already expressed interest in remastering the first two Shenmue games, and the impending release of Shenmue III makes it an opportune time to re-release the originals. If that weren’t enough, Shenmue III‘s record-breaking Kickstarter campaign proves there’s an audience for the Shenmue games that would likely jump at the chance to purchase remasters of the original titles.
For now, though, fans will want to take this news with a grain of salt. Shenmue remasters may seem likely, but as previously stated, the domain names could be nothing. While fans wait for clarification from Sega, they at least have more Shenmue developer updates to look forward to, including new gameplay videos, as promised by series creator Yu Suzuki.
Those interested in Shenmue remasters may want to pay attention to any Shenmue III updates that come to light over the next few months. Especially now that the original game’s director is on board with the project, there’s a chance an announcement for Shenmue remasters could come during an upcoming Shenmue III presentation.
Shenmue remasters are rumored to be in development for current-generation consoles.
