Yu Suzuki on Virtua Fighter and Taking on New Challenges | September 2026 Sega Feature

Sega recently published a feature looking back over its 30-year relationship with NVIDIA, from the early days of 3D graphics through to the technology being used for the upcoming Virtua Fighter Crossroads.

It includes comments from Yu Suzuki, both in the article and in an accompanying video, in which he recalls Sega’s approach to developing cutting-edge 3D technology in the 1990s, his first meeting with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, and his impressions on seeing the latest Virtua Fighter in action.

We have translated some of the highlights from Suzuki's comments below.

The Sega × NVIDIA event held in Akihabara in July 2026. Image: SEGA / @sega_official

Bringing Arcade Technology to the Home

During the early 1990s, Sega was at the forefront of the transition from 2D graphics to real-time 3D polygons. Its MODEL 1 arcade hardware powered titles including Virtua Racing in 1992 and Virtua Fighter the following year.

• Related PRS post: Virtua Fighter's Connection to Virtua Racing's Pit Crew

Looking back at Sega’s development approach at the time, Suzuki explains that the arcade business provided an opportunity to experiment with advanced technology before adapting the knowledge gained for home consoles:

“We would take on advanced technology in the arcades, then bring the know-how we gained into the home-console space. To put it in more impressive terms, it was like an F1 team taking technology developed through Formula One and applying it to ordinary road cars.”

With Sega looking toward increasingly sophisticated 3D graphics, the company began exploring the development of dedicated graphics hardware with a number of companies. One of these was NVIDIA, which at the time was still a young start-up.

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for September 2026

Every month Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including accumulated votes from previous months), the winning topic that has been voted this time is:

"Translation of an early Muecas edition" 

Before the eccentric Muecas Dan became a regular feature on the official Shenmue website, it began life in February 2001 as Shenmuecast FAN, part of Sega AM2’s online magazine. The name “Muecas” (ムーキャス) was formed by combining abbreviated versions of “Shenmue” and “cast,” reflecting the feature’s focus on the actors behind the game’s characters.

The first installment, Vol. 01, saw Masaya Matsukaze, the Japanese voice and motion actor for Ryo Hazuki, respond to readers seeking advice on their problems. It also showcased some of the unusual ways in which Japanese fans expressed their love for Shenmue.

The Weekly AM2 staff also joined in with their own contributions, including series of romantic scenes inspired by Nozomi and Ryo... staged by two male staff members.

Two Weekly AM2 staff members recreate a tender moment between Nozomi and Ryo.

Other highlights included a mysterious package sent in by a reader containing a pair of handcuffs bearing Ryo and Ren’s names.

Takumi Hagiwara and Masaya Matsukaze try on a reader’s Ryo-and-Ren handcuffs,

In this upcoming article, we will present a full English translation of Shenmuecast FAN Vol. 01, originally published on February 6, 2001, offering a lively glimpse of the Shenmue cast and Japanese fan community in the months leading up to the release of Shenmue II.

Coming soon to the blog!

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World Guidance Guidebook: Shenmue Developers Survey (May 2000) - Part Two

In Part One, we began our translation of an extensive survey of 57 Shenmue developers published in the World Guidance guidebook in May 2000, shortly after the game’s original release. Having heard from members of the Sound & Music and Graphics Design teams, we now continue with responses from the Game Development and Planning teams.

Keiji Okayasu

Role: Game Director

Keiji Okayasu with Yu Suzuki in 2000

Q. What do you like about Shenmue?
A. The variety and depth of the mini-games.

Q. Who is your favorite character, and why?
A. The Santa who appears at Christmas. His lines are simply funny, and he’s a limited-time character on top of that.

Santa Maeno

Q. What scene left the deepest impression on you?
A. The Jimmy chase scene. During the QTE, there’s a moment where Ryo spins around someone to dodge them. The first time I saw that, I thought, “Whoa, that’s cool!”

QTE: chasing Jimmy through Dobuita

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World Guidance Guidebook: Shenmue Developers Survey (May 2000) - Part One

Shenmue Chapter One Yokosuka: World Guidance

Published shortly after Shenmue I’s original release in Japan, the World Guidance guidebook contains some of the most detailed and comprehensive information about the first game found in any of the guidebooks released at the time.

At the end of the book is an exclusive survey of 57 developers who worked on Shenmue.

The survey is introduced in the guidebook as follows:

Survey of 57 Shenmue Project Members!

The massive development team poured their collective effort into creating Shenmue: Chapter One ~ Yokosuka . To close out this book, we present the real, unfiltered comments from the staff themselves. Of course, this is only a portion of their voices, but it gives you a glimpse into both the hardships and joys of game development. Please read through with anticipation for what’s to come in the next installment. 

Survey Questions

1. What do you like about Shenmue?

2. Who is your favorite character, and why?

3. What scene left the deepest impression on you during the game?

4. Are there any hidden “tricks” you secretly included in the game?

5. Do you have any interesting episodes you can share from development?

6. Shout out one thing you'd like to say!

7. Please give a short message for the players.

During development, the Shenmue project was divided into a number of teams, including the Sound Team, Planning Team and Events Team. The survey responses are grouped according to these teams.

Our translation of the survey responses begins below! Note: images and additional notes have been added for extra context. Based on the initials provided, we have also attempted to identify each respondent where possible.

In this first part, we present the responses from the Sound & Music and Graphics Design teams, with the remaining teams to follow in Part Two.

★ Sound & Music Team

S.H. [Sound Effects Supervisor Seiichi Hamada]

Role: Sound Effects

Seiichi Hamada [screengrab from the Making of Shenmue NHK Special]

1. What do you like about Shenmue?

The battles, and the variety of different events.

2. Who is your favorite character, and why?

Ryo: the way he calmly carries on without showing his emotions.

3. What scene left the deepest impression on you during the game?

The scene with Chai at the arcade.

Seiichi Hamada's most memorable scene

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for August 2026

Every month, Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including those carried over from previous months), the winning topic this time is:

“The real-life inspiration for the warehouse crane at the harbor”

The large iron structure that extends into the waters of the New Yokosuka Harbor in front of the Alpha Trading Company is a readily recognizable harbor landmark in Shenmue. It also later serves as the setting for a scene in which Eri convinces Ryo to have his photo taken together with Nozomi to remember each other by. 

Ryo and Nozomi stand under the gantry crane

And like many of the locations and details found throughout the game, it has a counterpart in the real world, one that is even noted on the Shenmue Sacred Spot Map produced by Yokosuka City.

In this Patrons' Choice article, we'll take a closer look at the crane that inspired its in-game appearance, and explore a little of its history and connection with the harbor seen in Shenmue.

Coming soon to the blog!

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Suka Pass v2.0: Quiz, VMU Animations and More! | Shenmue Passport for Mobile

We’re very pleased to announce that the Suka Pass team has released version 2.0, a major new update for the fan-made mobile app inspired by the original Shenmue Passport.

SkillJim and I have had a lot of fun bringing this release together, and it has certainly kept us busy along the way. It is one of the most ambitious updates we have created for Suka Pass so far.

The main additions in version 2.0 include:

• Suka Pass Quiz, featuring a Daily Quiz, practice modes and Trainer Challenges
• Medals, quiz streaks and Winning Can rewards
• Shenmue Goodies, where character VMU animations can be unlocked and collected
• Everyone’s Space, featuring live Yokosuka weather and Shenmue community news
• A new My Collection page to view your items and medals
• Expanded statistics covering Quiz and Goodies in Data Review
• Topics page, bringing together links to Shenmue community websites

Below are a few details behind some of these features that Shenmue fans might find interesting.

Each day, the Daily Quiz gives everyone the same set of questions, making it possible for players to compare their results, scores and streaks with friends and other Shenmue fans.

The Daily Quiz splash

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for July 2026

Every month, Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including those carried over from previous months), the winning topic this time is:

“Yu Suzuki Interview: The Making of Virtua Fighter 2 (Beep! MegaDrive, 1994)”

Published while Virtua Fighter 2 was still under development in 1994, this interview with Yu Suzuki offers a contemporary look at how AM2 planned to build upon the original game, with greater realism, smoother movement and deeper fighting mechanics.

Suzuki discusses the development of the returning characters, the addition of Lion and Shun Di, and the influence of the martial-arts research carried out during his recent journey through China. The accompanying feature also highlights some of the major technical and gameplay advances that were attracting attention before release.

In the full post, we’ll translate the complete interview, including the magazine’s notes on the game’s major technical and gameplay advances.

Coming soon to the blog!

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The 11 Chapter Tiles (GDC 2014) - Examination & Theories [Part Two]

In this second part continuing on from Part One, we will be examining the remaining four chapter tiles: 8 (Cangzhou), 9 (Inner Mongolia), 10 (Beijing) and 11 (Xinjiang).

While the first seven tiles broadly align with locations and events seen in the released games, the final four move into largely unexplored territory within the Shenmue narrative.

Below are the map images again showing where each of the tiles is set for reference.

Yu Suzuki’s development map

Cangzhou, Inner Mongolia, Beijing and Xinjiang are located to the north of the earlier chapters.

Analysis of the final tiles is somewhat more challenging, as at the current time high-resolution images are not available.

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