HD re-releases of fan favourites Shenmue & Shenmue 2 on modern consoles became hotly requested after Shenmue 3‘s earth-shattering announcement at E3 2015. Since then, we’ve heard occasional rumors that such remasters may actually be happening. WWG can now share that we’ve heard rumors from multiple sources linked with SEGA, claiming Shenmue 1 & 2 HD are real and are expected to release in the not-so-distant future.
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Our sources have claimed that the project has been in the works since 2016, and was originally scheduled to be announced some time around E3 2017 in June, but was held back for unknown reasons. It is possible this was done to find a more appropriate venue where it wouldn’t have to share the spotlight with so many big, new games, but that’s just one writer’s speculation.
As you would imagine, it is supposedly a collection of both original Shenmue games remastered in HD. It’s rumored to be coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Whether or not the games will also arrive on Nintendo Switch is not something we are able to rule out definitively, but given the timing and lack of information about a Switch version, it seems unlikely (at least for now).
Still Projected for 2017
Recent rumors indicate that the HD remasters are currently still planned to release in 2017, but that goes without confirmation from SEGA itself and possibly could be shifted given that its reveal allegedly was, too. Still, the possibility of Shenmue 1 & 2 HD launching this year shouldn’t come as too much of a shock after both Bayonetta and Vanquish releasing on PC earlier this year. It’s clear that SEGA has been making an effort to port more of their modern classics to new platforms, and we’ve been told to expect more of this going into 2018.
SEGA dropping Shenmue 1 & 2 HD near the end of this year could help to reignite excitement for the IP ahead of the long anticipated Shemue 3, which is currently scheduled to release just over a year from now in late 2018. If we have any updates to share on the status of the rumored ports, we’ll keep you updated.
