Shenmue 3 Creator Says He "Could Do With a Bit More Money"

Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki has said he may prioritise storytelling over visual presentation for Shenmue 3, suggesting he doesn't currently have enough development funds to deliver a visually "gorgeous" experience.

Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer, Suzuki said he could do with more money to develop the game, but added that he believes modern games focus on visuals to the detriment of the game's narrative.

"I could do with a bit more money," he said. "The game itself doesn't have to be gorgeous visually - a lot of the money these days goes into the graphics. If we perhaps compromise on the graphics and put more into the story, we can make a good game. The most important thing, to me is that the game's interesting, and that it's something people want to play."

Shenmue 3 broke a Kickstarter record to become the highest crowdfunded video game on the platform, with the campaign closing at over six million dollars pledged. Development of the game is being handled by Ys Net, a studio founded by Yu Suzuki in 2008.

Shibuya Productions, a Monaco-based company that produces and promotes animation, games and movies, is also involved in the project, alongside Sony. According to Suzuki, Sony is supporting the project with money, but didn't specify how much.

"Kickstarter's not the only source of money," Suzuki said. "There's also funding from Sony and Shibuya Productions. Before we started Kickstarter, we had goals set around the budget--so if we only got $6 million, we'd create Shenmue 3 based upon what we could do with that $6 million."

Although the crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter has closed, the studio is still taking donations through Paypal as part of a Slacker Backer program.

"We're still trying to gather funds," he said. "Obviously, the more money we have the more we can do. Even if we don't get as much budget as the previous games, we'll still make this game."

Suzuki previously addressed questions regarding the funding of Shenmue 3 and Sony's involvement in the project, ensuring fans that crowdsourced "funds are going strictly to Ys Net for development of Shenmue 3."

According to him, Shenmue 3 will offer the "full-on Shenmue experience." Shenmue 3 was announced during Sony's E3 2015 press conference.