Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki says due to the fact that Shenmue 3 wasn't accessible to new players, he doesn't have any concrete plans for a fourth game.

According to Famitsu (transcribed by VGC), Suzuki felt that Shenmue 3 was made primarily with the franchise's core fans in mind who have played the two previous entries. As such, longtime fans were satisfied with the game. But at the same time, this deterred new players from enjoying Shenmue 3 if they didn't play the two games before it.

Suzuki went on to say that he would still want to create a Shenmue 4 that is approachable to players who are new to the franchise. It is possible that the game could tell a story completely detached from the events of the previous games, but Shenmue 3 itself ends on a cliffhanger.

In GameSpot's Shenmue 3 review, we said, "The creative team seems determined to not move anything forward substantially when it comes to Shenmue--including the story, which ends on yet another unfinished cliffhanger. Shenmue III is certainly an interesting game thrown out of time, but that doesn't mean that it's always enjoyable to play."

Shenmue 3 is available on PC and PlayStation 4.