Kickstarter Is Only Going to Get Bigger

Even with conservative estimates putting its budget at $47 million, the original Shenmue was a hugely expensive title for both its time, and now. So when fans had the chance to Kickstart Shenmue 3 for the low asking goal of $2 million, there came the question of how creator Yu Suzuki planned on continuing his storied franchise on so little dough. The answer came shortly after Shenmue 3 hit its goal in under 9 hours, as Sony will be providing further funding for the project. In essence, the developers found a way to “gauge audience interest” at the same they could (as of this writing) offset more than $3 million of the cost. Don’t be surprised if other large-scale developers follow suit by teasing risky dream projects they’ll only make if fans put up a down payment first.