Supplementary crowdfunding campaigns launched in the wake of successful Kickstarters are neither new nor all that unusual. At least a few of the games I've backed over the years have offered one, and the biggest crowdfunding success story of all time, Star Citizen, made the vast majority of its money after the Kickstarter was over. What makes the Shenmue 3 "Slacker Backer" campaign that launched last week unusual is the absence of the PC version of the game in any of its reward tiers.
The PC release was at the heart of the Kickstarter campaign that pulled in more than $6.3 million earlier this summer, but the only mention of it in the new effort is at the $100 tier, which offers a digital copy of the PC demo alongside the full game for the PlayStation 4 in either digital or physical format. It's a potentially disconcerting omission for anyone wanting the PC release, especially since the site explains its absence by saying only that developer Ys.net is "discussing the PC version with the related parties." But according to Cedric Biscay, the president of publisher Shibuya Productions, the reasons it's not currently being offered are "purely administrative."
"This [Slacker Backer] crowdfunding is a new campaign so we have to negotiate again with all the parts involved. That's the reason why you cannot find PC the version yet, but we are confident to have it in the near future," he said. "Please remember that in the Kickstarter campaign, the PS4 physical version was not offered at the beginning."
Biscay said there are a number of partners involved in the creation of Shenmue 3, and everything that happens must be approved by the relevant parties. "Our plan was to launch the crowdfunding on 17th because of Tokyo Game Show opening and we did not receive the approval on that date," he said. "So I can say that it's just a matter of time, I am very confident regarding the fact that the PC version will be added in the near future."
The Shenmue 3 Slacker Backer campaign runs until December 31.
