Shenmue series creator Yu Suzuki reveals when PC gamers can pre-order Shenmue 3, and also gives an update on the long-awaited game's development progress.

Fans have waited 15 years to get their hands on Shenmue 3, but the wait is almost over. As was announced during the game's E3 2015 debut at Sony's press conference, the game is eyeing a 2017 release, and according to series creator Yu Suzuki, it is well on-track to meet that goal. Apparently, Shenmue 3 is in the final stages of development, with pre-orders opening for the PC version as soon as noon tomorrow, December 15th.

Speaking to Famitsu (as translated by Gematsu), Suzuki said Shenmue 3 was ready to enter "full-scale production," which likely means that the team will be hard at work testing the game, ironing out bugs, making any necessary changes, working with voice actors, and polishing all aspects of it. While some may think it's too early for Shenmue 3 to be this far in development, it's worth noting that the game is not due out until next December, so Suzuki and his team have a whole year to continue working on the game.

With development going so smoothly, fans may be wondering when they can expect to see more of the game. Despite being a major PS4 console-exclusive, Shenmue 3 was nowhere to be seen at the PlayStation Experience, and it was also MIA at The Game Awards. In fact, little has been said about the project at all over the past six months, with exception to the news that the original Shenmue's director was signing on to work on the new game.

Luckily for fans, the radio silence on Shenmue 3 is set to come to an end soon, with Suzuki indicating that new Shenmue 3 videos will release "early in the new year." One has to imagine this means sometime between January and March of next year, though Suzuki stopped short of clarifying what kind of videos fans should be expecting.

Outside of a teaser trailer released near the end of the game's Kickstarter campaign, little to no footage of Shenmue 3 has been shared with the public. Considering this, it's likely that the "videos" Suzuki is talking about will be gameplay and story trailers that will offer an idea of exactly how much progress the game has made since it smashed Kickstarter records in 2015.

After a long stay in development hell, fans should rest assured that development on Shenmue 3 sounds like it's going well. Hopefully the videos Suzuki shares of the game next year prove that Shenmue 3 is far along enough to meet its December 2017 release date.

Shenmue 3 will be available in December of 2017 for PC and PS4.