Shenmue 3 Backers Won't Get Season Pass & Deluxe Edition Content

According to one of the Kickstarter backers of Shenmue 3, it seems like the game’s retail version, along with the Deluxe Edition, is going to have content that backers won’t get. Instead, it seems like every version of the game, whether from Kickstarter, Slacker Backer, or retail, is gonna have a chunk of exclusive content, such as the season pass. Good luck getting Shenmue 3 that actually has all the stuff.

Man, Shenmue 3 just can’t catch a break. It’s just always something with that game. The latest in a series of controversies is based around a comment left on one of their latest Kickstarter update posts. The commenter, Antonio Miranda, provides what he claims is an email directly from the Shenmue 3 team. In it, the developers tell Miranda that Kickstarter backers won’t be getting the pre-order items and Deluxe Edition content from the retail versions of the game, such as the season pass. Wait, what? Okay, let’s break it down.

Here’s what the email says: “Standard and deluxe versions released through retail sales are not affiliated with the crowdfunding campaign, so will not be included with backer pledges, however, they will be available for sale separately. Kickstarter Backers will receive the Kickstarter version, Slacker Backers will receive the Slacker Backer version. Both have unique content respective to their versions not available in the retail versions.” So, what we’re seeing here, as far as I can tell, is that Shenmue 3 is going to have four different versions; one for Kickstarter, one for Slacker Backer, two for retail. Every single one of those is gonna have exclusive content. So, how is one to get a version with all the content?

Now, to be perfectly fair, none of the backer tiers make any mention of any Deluxe Edition or anything else. So, you know, none of the backers technically bought that stuff. To be balanced, however, none of the backers have bought the Deluxe Edition or what have you because they weren’t offered. I’m sure many of them would’ve been happy to get that content. I don’t know, man. At this point, this is just another tire to through onto the garbage fire that the leadup to Shenmue 3 is becoming.