Adding fuel to what was the dwindling bonfire around Shenmue 3, it now appears that backers who funded the game’s development on Kickstarter or Slacker Backer will not receive the game’s season pass or Deluxe Edition content.
As reported by multiple outlets, the news comes from a recent blog post from the Shenmue III Team on the game’s Kickstarter page. Specifically, the information can be found in the comments section of the post.
A backer by the name of Antonio Miranda shared a response they received from the Shenmue III team after reaching out to “Ys Net regarding [the] Season Pass and Trial Version.”
Dear Antonio,
We apologize for the long delay in responding. Your feedback is appreciated and we will look into having your noted points in future updates.
Standard and deluxe versions released through retail sales are not affiliated with the crowdfunding campaign, so will not be included with backer pledges, however, they will be available for sale separately. Kickstarter Backers will receive the Kickstarter version, Slacker Backers will receive the Slacker Backer version. Both have unique content respective to their versions not available in the retail versions.
A season pass is not included.
Trial version release date info has yet to be confirmed and will be announced in the updates when details are available. You will be receiving your trial trial version, but we must ask for your patience for a little longer.
There will be more information following in the days ahead concerning updates.
Sincerely,
The Shenmue III Team
Of course, the news has not gone over well in the comments section of the Kickstarter page. However, it’s worth noting that neither a Season Pass nor Deluxe Edition pre-order goodies are mentioned anywhere in the project’s stretch goals or pledge tiers.
Indeed, those who backed the game on Kickstarter and Slacker Backer will receive bonuses unavailable to those who did not support the game’s development.
In other developments surrounding the game, Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney recently said that the company would spearhead refund efforts around the game.
Sweeney said on Twitter:
Epic is funding the cost of all Kickstarter refunds resulting from Shenmue III’s move to the Epic Games store, so that refunds won’t reduce Ys Net’s development funding.
The move comes after it was revealed at E3 2019 that Shenmue 3 will be a timed Epic Games exclusive. Furor quickly rose around the news, specifically stemming from backers who did not want their money going to the developer.
More recently, Ys Net released a 30-second trailer for the game, showcasing forklift driving, mini-games, and several brief glimpses of the game’s combat. Currently, there is no word if forklift races will make a return in the series’ third installment.
Shenmue 3 is set to release November 30 on PC and PlayStation. Of course, that is barring any further delays.
