Shenmue 3 has been delayed more than twice over the roughly four years we've been talking about it, from an initial expected launch at the end of 2017 to the second half of 2018 to 2019, which eventually settled out to August 27. As of today, it's more than twice plus once more.
A message from YS NET & Deep SilverShenmue III will now release on 19th November 2019.Whilst almost ready, the game simply needs a little more refinement before being truly finished. (1/2)June 3, 2019
"We feel that the extra time we have will help us deliver the true Shenmue experience players around the world deserve! We thank you for your patience and understanding," Deep Silver wrote.
In response to an inquiry, Deep Silver reiterated in a followup tweet that Shenmue 3 is "almost ready" and just needs a little more work to be really ready. "We apologise if this disappoints any of our fans, but we hope you can understand that we are endeavouring to ensure the game is polished before release," it wrote.
A three month delay is relatively minor, especially when it's been preceded by nearly two years of prior delays, but dropping it square in the middle of the holiday season is an interesting move. That's when everybody is buying games, but it's also when everybody's releasing them, and it's easy for the ones that don't have serious big-name cachet—and, all due respect to the fan base, that includes Shenmue 3—to get lost in that rush.
November 2019 will also see the release of Death Stranding and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, for instance, and the Modern Warfare reboot, which might be the biggest thing to happen in the Call of Duty series in years, arrives just ahead of them on October 25.
