It was already known that the long-awaited Shenmue 3 has a post-launch DLC plan but Ys Net never came around to drop any details. The developer has mostly been focusing on the base game, as well as dealing with one controversy after another in the months leading to the official release.
While hosting a panel at Tokyo Game Show 2019 earlier this month, as covered by IGN Japan, director Yu Suzuki stated that there will be several DLC releases in the future. He confirmed three story expansions that are apparently already in the works, and they will all be themed differently. Without going into much detail, he teased that two of the DLC releases will be action-oriented and narrative-based. The last one will be “like a casino” and deal with gambling dens.
It won’t be just story expansions for Shenmue 3 either. The DLC will offer new rewards such as cosmetics through mini-games. For example, there will be fishing tournaments that give away t-shirts as prizes. The developer plans to add more of such events over time.
If you were to go to the PlayStation Store right now, the Digital Deluxe Edition of Shenmue 3 mentions a DLC Pass that covers the post-launch DLC and the “Burning Sandstorm” Advanced Technique Scroll. There’s no word on whether the same pass includes the aforementioned story expansions or not. Should Shenmue 3 receive a secondary DLC Pass, the player-base, especially the backers, are likely to go up in arms.
The decision to change Shenmue 3 into an Epic Games Store exclusive, mere months before release, has many fans still fuming. The situation only took a turn for the worst when the developer refused to honor refunds to the backers who actually funded the Kickstarter project nearly half a decade ago. A few weeks back, Ys Net finally settled.
Emails are now being sent out with option to either change your platform from PC to PlayStation 4 or ask for your money back. If you opt for the latter, take note that the refunding process could take from one to three months in total. You only have two weeks to decide after receiving the email, after which you’ll be stuck with Shenmue 3 on PC.
Shenmue 3 is scheduled to release for PlayStation 4 and PC on November 19, 2019. Once again, the game will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store.
