"Shenmue 3" is breaking records before it has even been launched, as the game is now officially the most funded video game campaign to have ever appeared on Kickstarter, which is a global funding platform for creative undertakings.
The campaign has closed with a record $6.3 million in funds.
"Shenmue 3" displaces "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" in the top spot. The previous record holder pulled in an impressive total of its own at $5.5 million, according to Destructoid.
Despite the game managing to rake in a record-breaking total, it still falls short of the $10 million goal that series creator Yu Suzuki of Ys Net had set for the Kickstarter campaign, which he said would have led to "Shenmue 3" becoming a true open world game. However, even if the campaign ultimately fell well short of its $10 million goal, it still shattered the $2 million dollar goal that Suzuki needed to at least make the game a reality.
Fans should also note that $6.3 million is likely not the exact amount Suzuki and Ys Net will have on hand for the game's development. Sony has already announced that they are helping to bankroll the project as well, even going so far as to say that they will be involved in the marketing, producing, and publishing aspects of the game, although they ultimately relented from actually saying just how much money they would provide for the game.
In related news, there's a chance that "Shenmue 3" will never be available for retail in disc form, according to IGN.
Ys Net has said that they are still unsure if "Shenmue 3" will be available in disc form when the game is officially released. The only people guaranteed to receive a physical copy of the game at this point are those who pledged $60 for the game's Kickstarter campaign. The rest may have to settle for purchasing a digital copy of "Shenmue 3" online.
"Shenmue 3" is expected to be released around December 2017.
