Shenmue 3 Dev Responds To Concerns Over Epic Store Exclusivity

During E3 last week it was confirmed that the long-in-development crowdfunded game Shenmue III will release on PC as an exclusive to the Epic Games Store at launch.

Some people got upset about this because the studio, Ys Net, had originally said the game would be available on Steam. The game is still coming to Steam, but not until 12 months after its release on the Epic Games Store. Now, developer Ys Net has responded to the outcry, but only in a preliminary way.

In a post to the game’s Kickstarter page, Ys Net said it hears the concerns of fans. Representatives from the studio were in Los Angeles for E3 where they showing off the game, but when they return to home base they’ll look into how to “find a way forward” as it relates to explaining to fans that their faith in the studio can be upheld.

“We want to make sure that the Backers are aware that we are listening to their concerns,” reads a line from the update. “We kindly ask all our fans to have some patience, we are currently at E3 demoing the game and need to get back to our respective offices to assess the situation and together find a way forward to justify the trust you placed in us.”

In 2015, more than 69,000 people contributed $6.3 million to fund the development of Shenmue III on Kickstarter. Saints Row publisher Deep Silver later came aboard as a publisher.

Shenmue III was among the titles that Epic announced as being timed-exclusives for the Epic Games Store. Another title was Untitled Goose Game from Australian developer House House. The studio said Epic made an offer that gave them a unique sense of stability in an industry where that is far from a guarantee.

Shenmue III is also coming to PlayStation 4. The Shenmue III release date is set for November 19. A new trailer was released during E3; check it out in the video embed above.