Nintendo Switch Could Get Ports Of Sega Classics ‘Shenmue’ & ‘Shenmue II’
The Nintendo Switch could be getting ports of Sega classics, Shenmue and Shenmue II. A conversation with members on the original Shenmue team, namely Eigo Kasahara and Hiroji Noguchi, was released in a Japanese site that hinted at the possibility of Shenmue and its sequel coming to the Switch.
Both Noguchi and Kasahara talked about releasing Shenmue and Shenmue II on the Switch via 4Gamer. Noguchi seemed to share fans’ sentiments about porting the classic Sega games on the Switch.
“The fans have really shown their love for Shenmue–and for that, I really am grateful. Personally, I think it’d be great if you could play Shenmue on the Switch anywhere…”
Meanwhile, Kasahara gave readers a bit more insight as to why there isn’t a Shenmue I or II on the Switch yet.
“Whether or not we can do something like that in reality, we’re taking the fans’ opinions into consideration. Following up on that might take some time, but it’s definitely something I want to consider.”
According to Nintendo Life, Sega had conducted a poll before the 2018 Tokyo Game Show, asking fans about games they would be interested in seeing adapted in its AGES line up.
It seems that gamers were adamant about including Shenmue and Shenmue II on the AGES list. The games, created by Yu Suzuki, have garnered a cult following and are said to have significantly contributed to the design of modern games. For instance, the Shenmue series is credited for the popularization of quick-time events in games like Resident Evil or the Tomb Raider series. Suzuki’s games are also credited for introducing open world titles, like those seen in the Grand Theft Auto series.
This past August, high-definition versions of the Sega classics were released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Fans were wondering why there was no port released on the Switch since Nintendo’s portable console — and its ability to play games on-the-go — would be a good fit for the classic series.
Several theories have spawned as to why there is no Switch port for Shenmue and its sequel. As evident by a Reddit thread on r/NintendoSwitch, some gamers believe that HD versions of the games are being developed for the Switch, but haven’t been released yet.
However, some Reddit users suggest that Sega doesn’t have enough confidence that Shenmue and its sequel will sell well on the Switch. As such, the gaming company is hesitant to release it on Nintendo’s popular console.
Based on Kasahara’s comment, though, it does seem like Sega is open to hearing what fans of Shenmue have to say about porting the game on the Switch. So there may still be a chance.
Sega Is Listening To Fans, Would Love To See Shenmue And Sequel On Switch https://t.co/4HRaaG3ClA #NintendoSwitch #SwitcheShop pic.twitter.com/F7lz33TbVD
— Nintendo Life (@nintendolife) September 30, 2018
However, one user pointed out another, more notable issue with porting Shenmue on the Switch — namely its size. The Reddit user argued that the Switch may not have enough native storage to hold that much data, especially given the new HD version. Kasahara might have been referring to the game’s size when he talked about Shenmue ports for the Switch taking time. The game’s listing on Steam lists 30 GB needed for installation, which would take up all of the Switch’s internal storage.
Gamers are hopeful for Shenmue I and II to be released on the Nintendo Switch. Until an official announcement, though, Shenmue fans will have to be content to wait for the release of Shenmue III in 2019.
