Not too long ago, it was revealed by Ys Net and Shenmue 3 project director Yu Suzuki that the long-awaited and forthcoming sequel had received a delay well into 2018 in order to give developers ample time to finish the game due to it having grown much larger than initially anticipated. Now, the title's creators have provided another update on its production process by offering a look at concept art for a few of the new characters to be added, and confirming it will showcase the game at gamescom 2017.

As seen in the images below, Shenmue 3 is set to include at the very least three new characters as inhabitants to its world, with one being a "strong-willed girl," another being an overweight woman wearing hair-rollers, and the last one being an older man with a gray ponytail and Fu Manchu. As of now, however, none of these figures have been given official names, but it's likely that Ys Net will provide them with certain designations come gamescom 2017.

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As far as Shenmue 3's presence at gamescom 2017 is concerned, Ys Net has confirmed that it will use its time during the event to show off its "newest movie clips" for the title, and share the "latest updates" alongside some "new announcements." When it comes to the lattermost piece of information, one can only hope that the developer will take to Germany's annual mid-August gaming exhibition to confirm an exact release date for the game, especially since it skipped E3 2017.

Of course, it's really anyone's guess as to what Ys Net will have to say at gamescom 2017, as the developer could also take to the expo to confirm that it will be following through with the rumored HD remasters of the first and second Shenmue. However, considering the lengthy amount of time it's been since the last proper game in the series was released – roughly 16 years to be specific – it's a safe bet to make that fans are simply hoping to learn at gamescom 2017 that the studio finally has a precise launch date in mind for Shenmue 3.

Shenmue 3 is currently in development for PC and PlayStation 4, with a release date set for sometime in the second half of 2018.

Source: Shenmue