![]() Today, platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, and YouTube are in the face of major industry challenges: more competitors are entering the market consumers are demanding more diverse content and higher quality service and cost of content acquisition keeps increasing. This thesis proposes a new model for online platforms for independent films. By mapping the history of the Shenmue franchise from its original failure in the era of physical distribution to its recent crowdfunded success, this article argues that the empowering potentials of crowdfunding cannot be readily assumed without a contingent analysis of the cultural and political economy underlying Web 2.0 and its digital platforms. This controversial episode shows how commercial platforms like Kickstarter are increasingly facilitating a process of financialization of crowdfunding, whose main effect is not so much the equal coming together of media consumers and producers as the minimization of risks for large video game corporations. In particular, the Shenmue III campaign illustrates how the crowdfunding initiative was instrumentally mobilized by its organizers to attract further corporate sponsorships and stakeholders outside crowdfunding. Although the campaign displays some of the participatory elements often attributed to crowdfunding and digital convergence, it also sheds doubts on accountability and the effective capacity of crowdfunding to substantially challenge and de-hierarchize power relations in the video game industry. This article takes this campaign as an endemic case study of the changing funding mechanisms concerning video game production in the digital ecosystem of Web 2.0. Realistically this seems out of reach for this Kickstarter, but if funding continues through PayPal after the Kickstarter ends, it might not be impossible to reach that goal.In July 2015, a crowdfunding campaign launched to revive the notoriously unprofitable video game series Shenmue closed with the record figure of above US$6 million, to date the highest amount ever raised on Kickstarter for video game funding. Yu Suzuki stated he’d like to reach $10 million in order to create a true open world Shenmue 3. ![]() With the renewed interest in the Kickstarter, it seems Shenmue 3 is now back on track on challenging the record of the Kickstarter for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for being the most successful video game Kickstarter ever ($5,545,991). The new version on the right more closely resembles the way Shenhua looked in Shenmue 2: Additionally, the fans had also launched a new initiative to boost pledges by asking people to add $30 more to their initial pledge today.Įarlier on, Yu Suzuki had also tweeted a new image showing changes made to the 3D model for Shenhua. In fact, Awesome Japan had called on its backers to join the Tweetathon. It’s also probably not a coincidence that this update went live just when the Shenmue fans had organized their recent Tweetathon on the 3rd of the month. Pledges for the Shenmue Kickstarter had been going relatively slow over the past week, but the new rewards have given it a considerable boost, pushing the total pledge amount over $4,000,000. We ask for your forgiveness and the opportunity to make amends. ![]() We promise we will do everything we can to help bring Shenmue back. This apology comes late, and we accept full responsibility. We offer our sincerest apologies for last week’s Twitch broadcast and any trouble it may have caused. The Twitch stream in question suffered from bad audio and video quality, and the presentation itself left a lot to be desired. In the same update Awesome Japan, the company managing the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter, has also posted an apology for the recent Twitch stream with Yu Suzuki. Other new rewards have been added as well, though the high cost will probably put them out of reach for the majority of people. This has been one of the top requests from fans, so it’s good to see the option is finally there. Before, only the PC version had an option for a physical copy. Those who pledge $60 or more will have the option to choose between a digital or physical copy of the game for either the PC or PS4. ![]() The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter page received a new update today, announcing a new PS4 physical copy reward.
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