Sega announced today that the Shenmue I & II remasters will be available on August 21 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Both games come together in the collection.
The original Shenmue came out for the Dreamcast in 1999. It is a landmark game that pioneered the open world genre we see so often today in blockbuster hits such as Grand Theft Auto V, one of the best-selling games in the industry’s history. It takes place in Japan and centers on a young man seeking revenge on those who killed his father.
The sequel followed on the Dreamcast in 2001, although the U.S. didn’t get it until an Xbox port released in 2002.
These remasters come ahead of Shenmue III, which is releasing for PlayStation 4 and PC in 2019. The game raised over $6.3 million on Kickstarter. Releasing these remasters will give old fans a chance to re-familiarize themselves with the story, but they can also help bring new fans to the franchise, which hasn’t seen a new game in nearly 18 years. Those could then translate into more sales for the upcoming Shenmue III.
The remasters include an updated user interface, a fully scalable screen resolution, and an optional new control scheme.