Shenmue 4 advertised on Times Square billboard… but there's a catch

After 14 years, Shenmue 3’s announcement in 2015 came as a surprise to even the most dedicated fan. The first two games, released on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 and 2001, respectively, were both commercial failures despite positive reviews at the time.

The series developed a cult following which helped bring Shenmue 3 into existence 18 years later, via Kickstarter, but that sequel also underperformed sales-wise. While that would typically seal the deal on the series ever returning, Shenmue fans aren’t going down without a fight.

Shenmue fansite Shenmue Dojo hosts a livestream on the 4th of every month to campaign for a fourth entry in the series, and in the latest edition on May 4, they bought a 15 second advertisement in New York’s Times Square to help spur the movement.

While a billboard in Times Square is usually pretty expensive (around $500 for 20 plays of a 15-second ad), this is a specific screen which allows you to display 15 second clips for only $40 (£31).

The 18,000-square foot screen was launched in January last year by TSX Entertainment, and allows anyone to submit clips for use on the billboard. There are some limitations of course, with any clips featuring nudity, violence, offensive content or any ‘traditional advertising’ prohibited, but it’s otherwise an open platform for chaos.

Whether the video will actually help make Shenmue 4 a reality is another matter, but it’s a valiant effort nonetheless.

Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki has said he wants to make a fourth entry, but it depends on whether he can find a partner to get the project off the ground.

Speaking to Shenmue Dojo, in an interview last month, about the possibility of Shenmue 4, Suzuki said: ‘We’re not working on it right now. It is still in the planning stage.’

When asked what it would take to make Shenmue 4 a reality, he replied: ‘A partner.’

There’s perhaps some hope Sega, who published the first two games, might consider partnering up to make a fourth entry happen.

Last year, the company announced plans to reboot a number of its classic franchises, including Crazy Taxi, Streets Of Rage, Golden Axe, and Jet Set Radio, so the nostalgia train could perhaps pick up Shenmue too at some point.

That might be an optimistic stretch though. Sega last acknowledged Shenmue back in 2018, when it released a HD remaster of the first two games.