Never underestimate the fans who want to see more Shenmue. After raising over $7 million to partially crowdfund Shenmue III in 2018, passionate followers of the franchise haven’t given up on pushing for Shenmue 4. Now, six years after the latest game in the series, Shenmue fans have ramped up their efforts by purchasing a 15-second ad on a Times Square video billboard to campaign for a sequel.
Via IGN, the ad was placed by a fan site, Shenmue Dojo. The stated goal of Shenmue Dojo’s campaign is to “support the continuation of the series and attempt to spread global awareness to find [developer] Ys Net a potential partner for Shenmue 4.” The Times Square ad also included the hashtag #LetsGetShenmue4.
Broadcast live during our #Shenmue Day stream, #LetsGetShenmue4 hit the streets of New York with a full on 15 second advertisement on Times Square! 🏙️
Shenmue fans do some insane things to try and get recognised…are you watching @SEGA @SEGA_OFFICIAL?👀 pic.twitter.com/gzfLzQWZb9
— Shenmue Dojo 🐉 (@Shenmue_Dojo) June 4, 2024
In the short term, the campaign successfully managed to get Shenmue trending on X. However, getting a fourth game in the series may still be an uphill battle. Shenmue III debuted to mixed or negative reviews in 2019, and the sales weren’t high enough to immediately warrant a sequel. Regardless, the team behind the Shenmue 4 campaign remains optimistic about the franchise’s future, as explained in the following message posted on the site.
“Thank you to everyone that helped to show their support with the timed mass tweets/posts today. It was very much appreciated and proves that together, as a collective, we can spread the awareness that we are not going to sit back without a fight. We will continue to strive until Shenmue 4 is a reality.”
