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Shenmue 3 hype sends sales of Dreamcast through the roof

The announcement of Shenmue III at E3 2015 in June has sent sales of pre-owned Dreamcast consoles through the roof, according to a report on MCV.


Various indie game stores have recorded a massive spike in Dreamcast sales following the game’s reveal, as well as an increase in sales for Shenmue and Shenmue II for the console. 

Unsurprisingly, sales of Final Fantasy VII for PlayStation have also spiked following the unveiling of the Final Fantasy VII Remake at E3.

"We sold 20 Dreamcasts in the last week alone,” said Alex Bowness of Canterbury’s Level Up Games. “All of sudden, people are asking where they can play the original two Shenmue games. The announcement of Shenmue III really piqued everyone’s interest.”

Michael Wealleans of Reload Games commented: “People are trying to get hold of the original copies of Shenmue and Final Fantasy VII, even if they don’t have the console to play it on. They just want it in their collection. But with that demand, the price has gone up.”

Not only that, but it seems that Shenmue III hype has exceeded that of Call of Duty in select stores.

"I’ve had more customers hyped about Shenmue III than Call of Duty, and I am glad there are gamers out there like this, because it proves that gaming is not as disposable as other forms of entertainment. Indies should be confident in their physical stock," said David James-Turvey of Llanelli’s Retrobution.

Dreamcast sales have come from nowhere almost, what’s exciting now is that young gamers who perhaps didn’t even know what the Dreamcast was are interested in it.

Shenmue III has been funded by a successful Kickstarter initiative, which raised $6.3 million and became the fastest video game on the crowdfunding project to hit $1 million. The game is due out in December 2017 on PlayStation 4 and PC, with development having only ‘just started.’

Not played Shenmue? Read our feature to find out what made Yu Suzuki’s cult classic such a groundbreaking title.