Clarification amid backlash: Shenmue 3 will come to Steam
But it could be a year's wait.
Predictably, not everybody was thrilled when Shenmue 3 was announced as an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC (he says, underplaying it wildly). The major sticking point was in Shenmue 3 being a crowdfunded game and a Steam release being heavily suggested and expected. Steam logos were on marketing materials, Steam game keys talked about in pledge tiers, and a Shenmue 3 Steam page has been around and updated for a long time. But as of last night, when the Epic Games Store announcement was made, this suddenly changed.
Whether or not you want to use the Epic Games Store is one thing, but another issue is the underlying trust in a developer which suddenly pivots like this. And trust was shaken further when Ys Net and Deep Silver, the publisher, refused to offer people refunds on their Kickstarter pledges.
"This is greedy and underhanded," one fan wrote on Kickstarter - echoing a general sentiment. "If you won't provide Steam keys than you had better offer a refund. That's what decent campaigns do when they drop a platform."
"What is this?" another backer asked. "I have all my games on Steam. I backed this with $300, I choose a Steam version on the survey. And now you tell me I will get a freaking Epic Game key. Seriously. I have no word for this." (Others did.)
All of this is presumably why publisher Deep Silver has now clarified Shenmue 3 will come to Steam too.
How long we'll have to wait, though, Deep Silver didn't say. "Shenmue 3 will be released on Steam in the future," is all the updated FAQ said. But the typical Epic Games Store exclusivity period is one year so expect the same here too. It means you're unlikely to see Shenmue 3 on Steam before November 2020.
Shenmue 3, remember, releases on PC (Epic Games Store) and PlayStation 4 on 19th November 2019.
