SEGA created a “fully playable” Shenmue PS2 port, but never released it due to “rights issues”

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As a dedicated gamer who grew up in the golden age of Sega, I can’t help but feel a twinge of nostalgic disappointment upon hearing about the unrealized PlayStation 2 port of the legendary game, Shenmue. Back in the day, I eagerly awaited the arrival of this open-world masterpiece on my Dreamcast, only to have it snatched away by SEGA’s unfortunate hardware fate.

To learn that a playable version existed for PS2, yet remained confined to the dusty corners of game development history, is both intriguing and saddening. The thought of wandering the arcade streets of Yokosuka on my trusty PlayStation 2 controller brings a wistful smile to my face.

However, I can’t help but wonder what could have been. If only SEGA had managed to secure those elusive branding licenses for the PS2 port, perhaps the series might not have languished in dormancy for so long. Instead, we find ourselves in a world where Shenmue 4 remains a distant dream and the series’ story is left unresolved.

On a lighter note, I can’t help but chuckle at the thought of SEGA’s developers toiling away, fixing shaders and converting code, all for a game that would never see the light of day. If only they had known then what we know now – that the world would one day clamor for their efforts with remasters, re-releases, and even a Kickstarter campaign! Ah, well, such is the life of a gamer. Until next time, Yokosuka!

In the closing years of the 1990s, Sega’s Shenmue stood as the final stronghold of the Dreamcast console. Accompanied by its sequel, this open-world fighting game with cinematic elements represented a significant advancement in gaming technology. Regrettably, it wasn’t enough to prevent the demise of Sega’s hardware.

Instead, SEGA shifted focus towards creating games for third parties on platforms like PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and others. Shenmue 2 ultimately found its way onto Xbox with a DVD enclosed that summarized the initial game, but what’s interesting is that SEGA had actually prepared full ports of the game for other systems, which they never chose to release.

SEGA’s Shenmue PS2 port

Back in the day, as a gamer myself, I recently chatted with Takeshi Hirai and Makoto Wada from Famitsu about the legendary Shenmue series. They dropped a bombshell – there was a fully playable version of the original Shenmue for PlayStation 2 that never saw the light of day! Can you believe it? These guys built a near-perfect game, but it never hit store shelves over two decades ago.

Hirai disclosed that he created a version of ‘Chapter 1’ for the PlayStation 2 at one point, though it never saw the light of day. However, within the company, there was a playable PS2 version. Additionally, he developed an Xbox version, but only ‘Shenmue II’ was distributed in North America.

Hirai disclosed that he needed to “revert the code” to its original form using “C”, the same programming language utilized in the sequel of the game. Since the initial game was coded in a scripting language, which made the transfer process quite challenging.

Makoto Wada clarified that the team had addressed and resolved all the visual glitches, resulting in a largely bug-free gaming environment for PlayStation users.

According to Wada, the issues with the shaders on the Dreamcast were resolved, and the PlayStation 2 needed to be adapted to accommodate these shaders. Since the GPUs in both systems are distinct, they were redesigned and installed. From a gaming standpoint, if one wished to launch it, it could have been done.

Why wasn’t it released?

In the interview, the creators of Shenmue mentioned that the versions of Chapter 1 might not have been released because the game utilized a lot of real-world branding, which required expensive licensing fees. However, these costs were justified when licensing for the sequel’s Xbox port, but they weren’t necessary for the initial game release.

According to Wada, the Xbox edition of “Chapter 1” wasn’t made available. He believes this was because of rights complications rather than technical difficulties. The reason being, it seemed to be tied up with actual companies, like TIMEX watches and Coca-Cola. However, the contract for these rights only applied to the Dreamcast version of “Chapter 1”, which is why it wasn’t possible to release it on other consoles.

Initially, Shenmue 3 came out on PlayStation 4 and PC in the year 2019, but with mixed reception. Later, the initial two games of the series were moved onto contemporary platforms. As of now, the series appears to be inactive, even though there was talk of a fourth installment. It seems that the story’s official conclusion may remain unseen for fans.

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2024-12-30 17:40