Shenmue fans will have to wait just a bit longer for the long-awaited release of the third installment to the series. Which means we’ll also have to wait a bit longer to punch Lan Di in his smug-ass face.

In a statement released Wednesday, Shenmue III publisher Deep Silver announced their decision to delay the release until 2019, citing the need for extra time to polish the game.

This decision was apparently made in agreement with game director and Shenmue series creator, Yu Suzuki, who also released his own personal statement on the delay.

For anyone who has closely followed the project, this delay does not come as much of a surprise. Long-time SEGA fans familiar with Suzuki-san’s track record will also know that he has a reputation for perfectionism. The Shenmue faithful are a patient lot, if nothing else, but now that Shenmue III is moving into year four of its development, one may start to wonder if this isn’t a case of “perfect is the enemy of good.”

Either way, the immediate outlook isn’t all grim for those waiting for a new Shenmue experience, as SEGA is still set to release the first two games as an HD collection for PS4, Xbox One and PC later in 2018.

If your faith has indeed been shaken, try recapturing your enthusiasm by watching the video below which compiles reactions to the 2015 Shenmue III Kickstarter announcement. After all, what’s another few months? It will just be months, right, Suzuki-san?

*Disclosure: The author of this post is a backer of the Shenmue III Kickstarter campaign

Thanks for reading!

Please consider following The Splintering on social media or bookmarking the site for more independent entertainment news, views, and commentary!

---

The Splintering’s TeePublic store has items for all budgets, great and small! If you like what we do & want to help keep our site 100% free of paid ads, go here!