Highly anticipated: Following a series of delays, a release date for Shenmue III has finally been revealed at Gamescom. We knew it was arriving sometime next year, but now we know exactly when: August 27, 2019.
First announced at E3 2015 and originally scheduled to launch in 2017, creator/director Yu Suzuki announced on Kickstarter last summer that it was being delayed. The second half of 2018 was put forward as a new release date, but Ys Net and publisher Deep Silver wanted more time to "polish the quality of the game even further."
The August 27, 2019 release date means it will be almost 20 years since the much-loved original game become one of the best reasons to own a Dreamcast back in December 1999.
The third installment follows on directly from Shenmue II, which itself was released all the way back in September 2001---after 18 years of waiting, most fans weren't too upset over the delays.
In addition to the official launch date, a new trailer for the game was shown off at Gamescom. Players once again take control of teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he investigates his father's murder, and we also get a look at series bad guy Lan Di.
"Players must explore the game's open world, searching for clues, examining objects and talking to non-player characters for information, taking them further into enemy territory, deeper into mystery, and even closer to their destiny," writes Deep Silver.
For those who have never played the earlier Shenmue games, or if you're in the mood to wallow in nostalgia, a bundle containing the definitive, remastered versions of each title has launched today on Steam.