Shenmue III dropped a new trailer showing off a more completed version of the game, but most people online seemed to be focused on the fact that the trailer showed a Epic Store logo and not a Steam one. As someone that backed the project, I vividly remembered that it said that the PC version would be a Steam key. Will they do what Metro Exodus did and fulfill all Steam pre-orders? Who knows, Shenmue III kickstarter isn’t the best with communication. Here is all they said on it being exclusive:
“The PC Gaming Show just wrapped up with some big news for Shenmue III. The new trailer was unveiled and it was announced Shenmue III for PC will be an Epic Games Store exclusive!“
You would think they would have clarified if all the Kickstarter promised keys would be Epic Game Store keys. It seems the internet is having mixed opinions on this. One side defends the move saying PC gamers just have to download a new launcher, the other side either hates Epic Game Store moves like this or wants the key on Steam as promised for backing the project. As always the PlayStation 4 version will remain unaffected. What do you think?
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Not really a fan of this. I had to opt out of the kickstarter, but had anticipated it coming out on Steam. I’m fairly new to using it, but have enjoyed the experience on there. I’m not happy that I may have to download an additional app to play this game on, but I will if I have to…
another kickstarter game lost “epic pathetic”
I think Yu and YSNet owes it to the backer their Steam keys, it was promised to them through Steam and should be honored since they backed it with that in mind. The announcement is already burning away a lot of goodwill, they need to address this or else kiss the chance of any future funding for future projects goodbye. Can’t be too hard to generate the backer keys and discs, they’re already paid for!
Isn’t this technically breaking Kickstarter promises?
Yes
This is unacceptable. I backed the Kickstarter since it was explicitly for Steam on the PC side, not some other random launcher that didn’t even exist when production began.
I’d like to believe that this is Deep Silver’s doing and Yu got bamboozled, but then I remember he didn’t really have an issue secretly accepting Sony’s additional funding while the backers scrambled to get more cash for the project, so…
Ignorant people are going to say this isn’t a problem, but it very much is a problem, you have to create an additional account, give another company your payment information, let yet another program run in the background doing God knows what and now your library of games is fragmented. All of this in additon to supporting the utter disgusting slime that is Epic. Nobody remembers how back in the 360 days they pulled all their development for games on PC because “PC has no future” and basically shat on the PC platform as a whole. Now that there’s huge money to be had they’re back in business acting like they were always believers of PC gaming.
Frankly, I’m fine with it. Making a top tier game on the budget that he likely had is tough, and personally, I’d do whatever I could to make some money off of it. Fans don’t have to pay anymore than earlier, and FWIW, Steam is probably just as interested in doing ‘who knows what’ in free the background on your computer as Epic is.
During the kickstarter the distribution platform for the PC version was actually undecided.
Suzuki said they were exploring various distribution options – what the Kickstarter backers backed was a digital download copy – the idea that it would be via Steam didn’t come until a later trailer.
I’m afraid it wouldn’t stand up in court to do a class action law-suit as some planned…
They weren’t backing specifically a Steam copy.
WonkySausage is correct. No mention of Steam was made during the initial funding period. I was somewhat irritated that mandatory Steam activation was decided upon later (during the slacker backer period IIRC). I don’t currently use the Epic launcher but I suppose it makes little difference at this point. What I really wanted was a DRM-free copy on a disc (I backed the Kickstarter at the physical copy level, and chose PC as my platform) but it’s not like they promised that either.
Overall I’m not that disappointed, as my expectations for the campaign were extremely low. Any crowdfunding campaign that I was remotely interested in turned out to be a disaster. I always take a “wait and see” approach, and let other people put their money on the line. As a huge Yu Suzuki and Shenmue fan I felt somewhat obliged to get involved. I treated the Kickstarter campaign the same way I would treat gambling; don’t bet what you can’t afford to lose. You can’t pledge on a crowdfunded project expecting to get exactly what was promised. You need to be prepared for broken promises.
That said, it looks like we’re going to get a playable game out of the deal, so I’ll call this one a grand success.
Carrying a Kickstarter baby to term is no easy task. I think that this and other instances of games that don’t make it is an unfortunate lesson for fans who have played corporate content for their whole lives. It takes a lot to produce a quality game on a microbudget.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-11-clarification-amid-backlash-shenmue-3-will-come-to-steam
It doesn’t take the sting out completely, but it will come to Steam a year later. I’m sure they made this deal to help recoup more development costs, as others have stated.
Poor Yu …
Shen mue III will sold poorly, very poorly.
If on Steam or Stadia could will sold 10 millions copy.
This is the end … of Epic.
And I’m happy, very happy.
Sorry for the triple post.
As others have already said, despite what nearly everyone is claiming, they never claimed during the Kickstarter funding period that it would be on Steam. That was decided later.
I find all of this outrage to be totally ridiculous. They obviously made this decision for financial reasons.
There are real problems in the world to be angry about. Having to register a game–which, against all odds, has come back from the dead–with one corporation over another to play it on the PC is not one of them.
Epic obviously gave them a better deal.
I’m not shocked that a UE4 game would launch on the Epic store, especially with the gain in royalties to the developer… but this is really annoying. I don’t expect to install Epic’s store just to play the game, but I already planned to play this on PS4 anyways. I just wish my friends could buy it on Steam…