10 Dream Video Game Projects The Industry (And You) Forgot About
4. Shenmue IV
The excitement when Shenmue III was announced at E3 2015 was nothing short of electrifying, with fans thrilled that the cult fave action-adventure franchise would finally get a third installment almost two full decades after Shenmue II ended on an agonising cliffhanger.
But Shenmue III ultimately released to polarising reviews and a mixed response from fans in 2019, many taking umbrage with its dated gameplay systems and especially the fact that it ends on yet another cliffhanger while barely moving the story forward at all.
Though Shenmue III was enthusiastically crowdfunded by its loyal fanbase, creator Yu Suzuki has unsurprisingly struggled to get Shenmue IV off the ground in the five years since.
Shenmue III's divisive reception burned much of the goodwill he'd built up from the first two games, and so even if a Shenmue IV crowdfunding campaign does start in the future, it's incredibly unlikely to do nearly as well.
For many, Shenmue III categorically slammed the door on the franchise ever concluding its planned story arc, which is intended to be "four or five" games, according to Suzuki.
And while a franchise-capping Shenmue finale is still a dream game for many, there are few actively holding out hope that it might still happen.