Shenmue, the iconic video game that kept fans waiting nearly two decades for its latest installment, will manage to appease followers courtesy of an upcoming anime series adaptation, this time taken on by Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, not via a Kickstarter campaign.
The news was made public by Crunchyroll, during their own Virtual Crunchyroll Expo, finally confirmingprior leaks pointing to aShenmueprojectbeing in the works for the saga that not only made its name as one of the first successful open world games on the Dreamcast in 1999, but also for an intriguing and captivating story that drew fans aplenty.
RELATED:The 10 Rarest Sega Dreamcast Games (& How Much They’re Worth)
As far as major details go, Crunchyroll showed initial poster artwork for the show, but was limited to confirming that the series will be 13 episodes long and will haveShenmue’screator and game designer, Yu Suzuki, on board as Executive Producer. Animation production will be in charge of Telecom Animation Film, while Chikara Sakurai will be in charge of directing the series.
TheShenmueseries is not the first collaboration between Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, as both parties have also recently announced a new anime production titledFena: Pirate Princess, among other joint work. A release date, as well as any other details regarding this newShenmueproject are due to be announced later on.
After disappointing sales and thebittersweet reception garnered by Shenmue 3, Yu Suzuki is said to have learned a lot from his latest experience and remains open to the possibility of taking another shot atShenmue 4, however, it’s hard to know if he will ever get the chance to do so due to perceived failure of the last title. On the bright side, aShenmueanime might let the series reach a satisfying ending for both fans and its creator.
Even ifShenmuemakes a successful game-to-anime transition, with only 13 episodes initially confirmed, it’s hard to imagine the series’ plot concluding this way; after all it’s not exactly easy to fit over 65 hours of gameplay and a complicated storyline within limited screen time. Whatever the case, hopefully it won’t take another 20 years to get aShenmueseries finale.
MORE:Crunchyroll’s New Membership Tiers Include Offline Viewing and Swag
