I'd just like to add for the purposes of information that, similar to Xenosaga, Shenmue's original scope was much larger than that 3 installments. The idea of condensing it down to a trilogy was a result of the money hemorrhaging it did to SEGA.

The original Shenmue (that is, the entire game) was actually just the first chapter of the story. For Shenmue II, the second chapter was cut out completely and the multiple chapters it did contain had parts cut out.

That Yu Suzuki, the man who virtually "built" Sega into the arcade powerhouse it once was, and created one of the most amazing games ever made, is going out with a whimper... is incredibly sad. Not to mention that it is virtually the final nail in the coffin of Shenmue 3... :(

I'm very disappointed that this could mean the final nail in the coffin for the Shenmue series (agreed Yannick). I just wonder why another publisher won't pick up the title and complete the series. I can only imagine how beautiful the series would be on this generation of consoles. The game was creative, innovative, intriguing, and immersive in my opinion. If I had the upwards of $70 million I would definitely fund the project myself. I was so enthralled in the game that the personal vendetta that Ryo Hazuki had with Lan Di...it became my own.