'Shenmue III' Is Now Kickstarter's Highest-Funded Video Game Ever

It made grown men jump up and down like children at Toys ‘R’ Us when it was announced at E3. Now, it has finished its crowdfunding efforts: With $6.3 million raised, Shenmue III is Kickstarter’s highest-funded video game ever.

It thumped Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which raised $5.5 million just a short month ago.

Shenmue’s crowdfunding hasn’t been without controversy. Shenmue III reached its $2 million funding goal mere hours after its announcement, but how can III be made at that price when the original games cost upwards of $70 million? Speculation over publisher Sony’s true involvement in the game’s development began — could the Kickstarter just be gauging interest? — and the game’s funding slowed considerably. This forced the Shenmue team to post an apology and a promise to be as “open as possible” going forward. Well, they’ve gone forward.

But whether or not Kickstarter patrons or the multi-billion dollar tech giant are funding it, we’re still getting Shenmue III. That alone is worth celebrating, especially if you’ve been waiting for 14 years since you finished Shenmue II. If you had a child when Shenmue II came out, he/she would now be awkward high school freshmen, ready to hog your copy of Shenmue III. So stop complaining: We’re finally getting Shenmue III.