Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki is considering a prequel

Even though fans had asked for Shenmue 3 for almost two decades and it was met with positive reviews, it never reached any commercial success (ironically the same fate as the two original games). But despite this, the creator Yu Suzuki, has expressed his desire to continue the franchise.

While speaking to IGN Japan, he discussed making Shenmue 4 more accessible to new players and integrating previous events into the main game, but he also has other plans - like making a Shenmue prequel:

"I think recreating the streets of Dobuita with modern visuals on a new engine alone would make it worth doing. It also connects to the topic of not simply expanding in size. Making an even more detailed Dobuita than the original Shenmue is an interesting idea, especially if it's not a remake but a prequel with a new story."

Even if a Shenmue 4 would be expensive to make, and we assume there aren't publishers standing in line to back it up, Suzuki still has some interesting ideas for the next chapter:

"I want Shenmue 4 to be enjoyable for newcomers. To make that possible, the most important thing is to make it enjoyable without knowing previous events in the story. I don't think that a new player wants to know 100% of the story. 20 or 30% could be enough.

In Shenmue 3, we implemented a digest movie that teaches the player the main events of the previous games, but for Shenmue 4 I want to integrate that part into the main game. It would be great if the player could naturally learn about previous events just by playing the game. For example, rather than watching a separate movie, having playable flashbacks could be a way to do it."

While no official development has been confirmed on any new Shemue game, Suzuki mentioned being busy with other projects as well.

Would you be more interested in Shenmue 4 or a prequel?