Physical release of Shenmue 3 is not guaranteed

Shenmue 3 may not be released at retail, Ys Net has said.

Paying $60 for a physical copy of Shenmue 3 on Kickstarter seems to still guarantee a physical copy of the game, but whether it will be available upon actual release remains uncertain.

That’s according to VG247, which has been told by developer Ys Net that: Whether Shenmue 3 will be available for retail or not is currently unconfirmed”, adding that this doesn’t apply to crowdfunded pledges.

That’s despite an update to the game’s Kickstarter page on July 3rd entitled ‘PlayStation 4 Physical Reward Confirmed’. Physical copies of the game on either PS4 or PC also feature in the Kickstarter’s $60 pledge tier.

The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter is now on the home straight. Currently it sits at $5,141,575 with 38 hours remaining. Its stretch goals go all the way up to $11m, although the more immediate target is beating the $5,545,991 raised by Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to become the most funded video game Kickstarter of all time.

If it hits in excess of $8,782,571 it will be Kickstarter’s all-time games record, currently held by card game Exploding Kittens.

UPDATE: The wording of the story has been corrected to clarify that the uncertanties relate to the game’s wider release and not to Kickstarter backers.