Gio Corsi, Director of Third Party Production for PlayStation, made several comments about the potential of a Shenmue HD release during the recent PlayStation Experience event. He told a long time hardcore fan of the series, Matthew Kilpatrick, that he is paying attention to the numerous requests about the game. He also advised fans to not give up, adding that it took Sony a year to get Sega to release the Japan-only Yakuza 5 in English.
Mr. Corsi is actually a fan of Shenmue himself as he has a statue of Ryo driving a forklift in his office. Furthermore, he also told another fan who happens to post on NeoGAF that a HD release is also his “number one” personal request. At the same time, he admitted that there are several issues holding back Shenmue HD.
Another poster on NeoGAF previously indicated that a working prototype of Shenmue existed on the Xbox 360. Unfortunately, the HD release apparently had several legal issues with licensing due to the game engine. Along with the lackluster sales of Jet Set Radio and Nights rereleases, Shenmue HD never made it out of the prototype stage.
With that said, the Third Party Production was able to bring Suikoden 2 on the PlayStation Network and the above-mentioned English release of Yakuza 5. Therefore, Shenmue fans should definitely keep trying to persuade both Sony and Sega.
Thanks to the Shenmue Dojo Community Forum for compiling all the reports from the PlayStation Experience attendees.
