Shenmue III Finally Gets a Release Date

With Shenmue I and II becoming available today for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, it seems just as good a time as any to remind folks that the third chapter is still coming. And now we've got a release date to go along with it, though it's not anytime soon.

Deep Silver and Ys Net debuted a new trailer for the game earlier this morning during the Gamescom opening ceremony, dubbed The Prophecy. In it, we see Ryo Hazuki and his friend Ling Shenhua make his way to a new land in the hopes of tracking down Lan Di, the man that killed his father years ago. It's a "rocky path" that lies ahead of them, according to the trailer, but one that fans will definitely want to take the trip with.

"The next chapter of Ryo's adventure will lead him through an engrossing open world as he searches for clues, examines objects and gathers information from the people he meets, taking players further into enemy territory, deeper into mystery, and even closer to their destiny," the press release from Deep Silver reads.

What's more interesting is the release date. The game is set to launch on August 27, 2019, which is approximately one year from now. Granted, that gives producer Yu Suzuki and his team the time needed to finish up the game's development in a timely manner, but for some fans, that's a loooooong wait.

Still, you've got those earlier games to keep you occupied, not to mention the trailer above, which shows off even more detail than ever before.

The trailer shows us just how much effort Ys Net is putting into the game, as it looks better than it ever has with lighting, animation and more. At least they kept the player models the same for the most part, with Ryo still looking like Ryo and so forth. But everything else is greatly improved.

We also get slight hints of gameplay, like the fighting engine that the previous game was known for. And we get a hint of the potential final encounter between Ryo and Lan Di, as he finally appears to track him down. But is that the end…?

We'll have to wait a bit longer to find out. But at least we have a definitive date, and that certainly beats nothing. And don't forget you've got the Shenmue collection in the meantime to get you warmed back up with the saga.