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Showing posts with label New Year's Resolution. Show all posts

Monday, December 29, 2025

Yu Suzuki’s Keyword for 2026: “Maru” — Reflections on 2025 (Famitsu.com)

"171 Game Creators' New Year's Resolutions" from Famitsu (the Chinese Zodiac animal sign for 2026 is the Horse)

Famitsu.com has released its annual developer survey, offering insights from 171 creators across the Japanese game industry. Yu Suzuki is among those featured once again. As in previous years, participants were asked to select a “keyword” or phrase representing their outlook for the year ahead, reflect on the past year, and share brief updates on their current activities.

Yu Suzuki’s responses reflecting on 2025 and looking ahead to 2026 are below, translated from the original Japanese. This year’s comments are brief and upbeat, reaffirming his commitment to game development while touching on recent Shenmue-related news. His chosen keyword is simple but open to interpretation:

Q: Your Keyword for 2026?
YS: Maru (まる = “circle” / “wholeness”)
Q: Your Aspirations for the Year Ahead?
YS: Next year also, I hope to continue taking on the challenge of game development and delivering fresh experiences to everyone!
Q: Recent News
YS: In 2025, we announced release information for Shenmue III Enhanced. Please wait a little longer for this easier-to-play, higher-quality version of Shenmue III.
Q: What Are You Keeping an Eye On?
YS: The 2026 World Baseball Classic, and the film adaptation of OutRun.

Yu Suzuki: CEO of YS Net. Best known for creating genre-defining works such as Virtua Fighter and Shenmue during his time at Sega. In 2025, his company released Steel Paws.

Notes on the Keyword “Maru”

Yu Suzuki’s chosen keyword, maru, is a simple word that can carry a lot of meaning in Japanese. Literally, it means “circle,” but it’s often used to suggest ideas like wholeness, completeness, or rounding things out. In everyday contexts, maru can also be used to mark something as correct or satisfactory (like an exam answer), while more broadly it can hint at cycles or things coming back around, rather than reaching a definite end.

Seen in the context of Yu Suzuki’s career as a game developer, maru feels deliberately open-ended. For Shenmue fans, it’s hard not to briefly wonder whether a word associated with “wholeness” or “completion” might hint at the long-running and unfinished nature of the series, and the hope of one day bringing that story to a proper conclusion. Any such reading, however, remains purely speculative.

More broadly, and perhaps more practically, maru can be read as expressing a general sense of balance or continuity, which fits neatly with Suzuki’s comments about continuing with game development and delivering fresh experiences. In light of Shenmue III Enhanced, it may also reflect the idea of refining or rounding out an existing work through further polish and improvements. Whether it’s meant as “closing a circle,” keeping things moving, or simply aiming for things to feel right, maru works here as a loose, reflective keyword rather than a fixed statement.

Shenmue III Enhanced

Release information for Shenmue III was shared in August 2025, around the time of Gamescom. Published by ININ Games, the Enhanced version introduces visual, performance, and quality-of-life improvements, while allowing players to retain the original experience through optional settings.

2026 World Baseball Classic

He also highlights the World Baseball Classic as an event of interest. The tournament is set to return in 2026 and will once again bring together national teams from around the world, with games scheduled to be held in several locations, including Tokyo.

OutRun Film Adaptation

Suzuki also notes his interest in the upcoming film adaptation of OutRun - inspired by the arcade game of the same name he created at Sega in 1986 which remains one of the company’s most iconic arcade titles. In April 2025, Sega announced that a live-action feature film adaptation is in development at Universal Pictures, with acclaimed director Michael Bay attached to direct and produce. A release date has not yet been announced.

Sunday, December 29, 2024

Yu Suzuki's 2025 New Year's Resolution: "Getting Active!" [Famitsu.com]

"158 Game Creators' New Year's Resolutions" from Famitsu (the Chinese Zodiac animal sign for 2025 is the Snake)

Famitsu.com has released its annual survey spotlighting insights from notable figures in the Japanese gaming industry, and Yu Suzuki was included again this year. This year 158 creators were surveyed and, as per tradition, the respondents were invited to choose a "keyword" or phrase that represents their aspirations for the year ahead, share their New Year's resolutions, and offer updates on their current activities.

Yu Suzuki, CEO of YS Net.
(Not a particularly recent photo of Yu-san - this archive photo dates back to 2022).

Yu Suzuki's responses for the coming year in 2025 are as below, translated from the original Japanese.

This year they are short and sweet, highlighting the recent game announcement from YS Net, and committing to continuing on with new development. His keyword for the year has a self-improvement theme:

Q: Your Keyword for 2025?

YS: Getting active! [literally "resolving my lack of exercise!"]

Q: Your New Year's Resolution?

YS: In 2024, I was able to announce the release of a new title at the year end. I will continue developing to bring new gaming experiences to everyone!

Q: Recent News

YS: Very soon, Netflix will deliver my new game, Steel Paws, to you. It’s a thrilling action game where you can blow away hordes of enemies with simple controls. If you’re subscribed to Netflix, you can play it on any supported mobile device.

Q: Looking Ahead

YS: I’m looking forward to Ghost of Yōtei*!

*Ghost of Yōtei is the next big action-adventure game set in Japan from the team behind Ghost of Tsushima, coming to PlayStation 5 in 2025. This time, the story is set in 1603 on the snowy slopes of Mount Yōtei in Ezo (modern-day Hokkaido), where you’ll play as Atsu, a fierce female warrior taking on the mantle of "The Ghost." With a mix of open-world exploration, dynamic weather, and upgraded combat, it’s shaping up to be an even more immersive experience than its predecessor. Fans of Ghost of Tsushima or Japan-based adventures should definitely keep an eye on this one!

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Yu Suzuki's Key Theme for 2024: "Creating Games I'd Want to Play Myself" [Famitsu.com]

"163 Game Creators' New Year's Resolutions" from Famitsu (the dragon represents the 2024 animal sign of the Chinese Zodiac: the Dragon)

Famitsu.com has unveiled its yearly survey of individuals within the Japanese gaming industry, engaging with a noteworthy 163 game developers. As customary, the survey prompted them to select a "keyword" or phrase encapsulating their focus for the upcoming year. Additionally, participants were asked to share their New Year's Resolution and provide a comment regarding their present circumstances.

Yu Suzuki, CEO of YS Net.
(This archive photo was seen in 4Gamer's developer survey last year)

Yu Suzuki's responses for the coming year in 2024 were as below, translated from the original Japanese:

Q: Your Key Theme for 2024?*¹

YS: Creating games I'd want to play myself!

Q: Your New Year's Resolution / Aspirations for 2024?

YS: Collaborate on a project with scriptwriters and musicians from different industries.

Q: Status update

YS: In 2023, we successfully released a fantasy shooting game called Air Twister on home gaming consoles and PC. Feel free to enjoy the year-end and New Year holidays with the casual fun of Air Twister!

Q: What will you be keeping an eye on in 2024?

YS: I believe that clever and compelling stories like those found in Spy × Family*² and The Apothecary Diaries*³ could be beneficial in game development. By the way, I recently got my hands on the Juzo Itami Film Collection Blu-ray Box*⁴ and have been grinning happily ever since.

Notes:

In Japanese the first question translates more literally as "your keyword(s)", however it is a versatile term that can refer to both a single word or a phrase that encapsulates a main theme, idea, or concept. Taking this into account, here it is translated more broadly as "key theme".
Spy × Family is a Japanese manga series that was first published in 2019 and was subsequently adapted to an anime television series, and has been described as "an action-packed comedy about a fake family that includes a spy, an assassin and a telepath." It has received widespread acclaim, having won several manga prizes and awards. An anime film adaptation and a novel were released in Japan earlier this month.
Spy × Family
The Apothecary Diaries (Japanese name: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) is a fictional series set in Ming-era China that was originally published as a novel, and has been subsequently adapted to a manga series as well as an anime television series.

The Apothecary Diaries
The Juzo Itami Film Collection Blu-ray Box is a collection of all 10 movies by acclaimed director Juzo Itami who made his directorial debut at the age of 50 with the film "The Funeral" in 1984. The movie gained popularity in Japan and received numerous awards, including Japanese Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. However, it was his second film, the 1985 "Tampopo," with the story of a woman's quest to create the perfect bowl of ramen, that brought him international recognition and praise.

Yu Suzuki's response to his theme or concept for the year - "creating games I'd want to play myself") - suggests a personal and passion-driven approach to game development. Throughout his successful career, he has often developed games based on concepts suggested by others, particularly during his earlier years at SEGA. In this later part of his career, he has the freedom to create games that he finds personally engaging, as an initial benchmark for their broader appeal. It may also reflect his desire to continue to bring innovation and creativity into the development process and explore unique ideas and gameplay mechanics that resonate with him personally.

His mention of involving scriptwriters and musicians from other industries (i.e. outside of games) recalls his response to Famitsu's survey held in December 2021 in which he expressed a similar desire to "bring a different style to game making" by working with people from other industries. And indeed, this has already been seen in Air Twister, collaborating with Dutch artist Valensia who provided the amazing soundtrack for this game.

Suzuki ends by emphasizing his appreciation for "clever and compelling stories". He has mentioned in previous interviews his admiration for a scene in director Juzo Itami's "The Funeral" that depicts the everyday life of the Japanese culture in a humorous way - in one scene a guest staggers from "pins and needles" (the tingling feeling in one's limbs) when trying to stand after sitting with his legs folded underneath for a long period of time. It is pleasing to see his affirmation of the importance of story-telling, something that is an important component of the Shenmue series.

The "pins and needles" scene from the movie "The Funeral", directed by Juzo Itami

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Yu Suzuki's Responses: 4Gamer's 2022 End-of-Year Survey

Yu Suzuki was one of the 165 prominent games industry figures who were surveyed by Japanese games site 4Gamer.net in their annual feature that was released today.

Here are his responses, translated from the original Japanese text.

Yu Suzuki

Q1: Of all the games released in 2022, which title impressed (or shocked) you the most?

YS: Vampire Survivors, which was officially released on October 21.

Its intricate design, which has clearly been finely tuned over many iterations, and the movements of the enemies are superb.

I'm impressed with the way the game has been made, by not solely relying on graphics but by refining the playability and feel of the game.

Vampire Survivors is an action roguelike game developed and published by indie developer poncle

Q2: Of the entertainment content that was released or announced during 2022, which work left the deepest impression?

YS: The anime Chainsaw Man.

It is a well-executed work that incorporates modern techniques in its scenario, composition, and direction without being a hodgepodge.

It is wonderful how it combines the original [manga] story's audacious premise of parts of the body being chainsaws, with human drama.

Chainsaw Man, released in anime form in 2022

Q3: Which person is (or has been) in your personal spotlight in 2022?

YS: Billiards player Naoyuki Oi.

He is ranked 4th in the WPA world ranking and is the closest male player to [number one in] the world in Japan today.

His intuitive, unique and rapid decision-making that he has refined in the international scene is what sets him apart from other players, and makes his play so appealing.

Billiards player Naoyuki Oi

Q4: What are your ambitions for 2023, and what is your message to 4Gamer readers?

YS: I will be continuing diligently to create games next year.

In 2022, we announced a new shooting game, Air Twister, on Apple Arcade. It is a shooting game with a fun swiping mechanic, so I hope you will enjoy playing it during the year-end and New Year holidays.

Air Twister

Source (Japanese): 4Gamer.net

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Yu Suzuki's Keyword for 2023: "Light AI" [Famitsu.com]

"141 Game Creators' New Year's Resolutions" (the jumping rabbit represents the 2023 animal sign of the Chinese Zodiac: the Rabbit)

Japanese website Famitsu.com has released their annual survey - much anticipated by Shenmue fans eager for any hint that might relate to our beloved franchise - of members of the games industry, this time interviewing an impressive 141 game developers. As usual, the survey asked them to choose a word or phrase that sums up their direction for the coming year, as well as a New Year's Resolution and goal.

Famitsu's archive photo of Yu-san is now getting a little long in the tooth, now dating back to 6 years ago!

Here are his responses for the coming year in 2023, translated from the original Japanese:

Q: Your Keyword for 2023?

YS: Light AI.

Q: Your New Year's Resolution / Aspirations for 2023?

YS:
I'd like to try taking a light-hearted approach to AI, without pretentious logical thinking. The answers that an imperfect AI, including bugs, can come up with should be fun. I'm setting out on a journey to seek new ideas using AI. [Suzuki adds a "w" at the end of his response, indicating smiling or laughing].

Q: Status update

YS: In 2022, Apple Arcade released my new game, Air Twister, and in 2023 I am also involved in overseeing the characters for a project called "OASYX".

Q: What will you be keeping an eye on in 2023?

YS: I have high hopes for the evolution of AI technology and the emergence of entertainment with visual images that transcend the human imagination, as well as for initiatives to find original value in digital data.

Regarding Suzuki's response of "Light AI" for his keyword for the upcoming year, the light refers to not being overly heavy or complicated.

AI has certainly now become a hot mainstream topic, with public online access being opened up to some impressive AI projects: systems that can create realistic images and art from a text description (DALL E2) and language-model chat assistants (OpenAI's ChatGPT).

Suzuki also expressed his ongoing interest in AI during a discussion panel with IGN Japan last year on the movie "Free Guy" (currently available on Patreon) and touched on its potential for controlling NPC behavior in games:

Suzuki: In terms of the world that is portrayed, in Shenmue's case, I didn't go as far as using AI in moving each of the characters [NPCs] around. When I was making Shenmue, I thought that in the future, once the processing power of CPUs and computers had improved enough, I would certainly use AI.

Air Twister was successfully released for iOS devices during the year, and looking back it can be seen how his keywords for the past few years can be tied to it:

2020: "A new project start"
2021: "Shooting / RPG" (at least the "shooting" part)
2022: "Mix" (In his response, Suzuki spoke of working with people from different industries "such as movies and musicians" - he worked with Dutch composer Valensia who provided the soundtrack for the game).

The OASYX project mentioned is an NFT (Non-Fungible Token) project - an area fraught with reputational risk due to various controversies associated with it. This particular project was launched by Oasys on their gaming blockchain, and aims to create NFTs for the gaming community in collaboration with legendary creators, artists and developers, and is backed by some big Japanese game development studios including SEGA, Bandai Namco and Square Enix. Suzuki will oversee the overall theme and art direction of the project's first series, which involves the distribution of 10,000 original characters in a free-to-own format.

Suzuki ends by highlighting his anticipation of the further evolution of AI-related technology in the future, including its use for impressive visuals in entertainment.

While there was unfortunately no obvious hint as to any Shenmue-related project in the works, we'd like to think there is a Shenmue project YS Net are working away on to fulfil Suzuki's long-held dream of developing a lightweight AI system for even more naturally-behaving NPCs.

Friday, December 31, 2021

Yu Suzuki's Responses: 2021 End-of-Year Survey [4Gamer.net]

Recently Famitsu published their annual survey of members of the game industry, with Yu Suzuki commenting on his outlook for 2022.

Related link: Yu Suzuki's New Year's Resolution for 2022 & Announcement Hint [Famitsu.com]

As usual, Japanese website 4Gamer.net has also carried out their own similar 4-question survey to ask the thoughts of industry figures on looking back on 2021 and what they are looking forward to in the new year.

Here are Yu Suzuki's responses translated below (with images added):

Q1: Of all the games released in 2021, which title impressed (or shocked) you the most?
YS: Little Nightmares II. I was impressed by its atmosphere, and could really feel the creators' passion. The animation in particular is excellent.

Little Nightmares II: a puzzle-platformer horror adventure game published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.

Q2: Of the entertainment content that was released or announced during 2021, which one left the deepest impression?
YS: "Finch".

Finch: an American post-apocalyptic science fiction drama film starring Tom Hanks, released on Apple TV+.

Q3: Which figure personally caught (or is catching) your attention in 2021?
YS: [Japanese female professional billiards player] Samia Konishi. I like her decisive, aggressive play.

Samia Konishi

Q4: What are your aspirations for 2022, and what is your message to 4Gamer readers?
YS: To the readers of 4Gamer: next year's zodiac sign is the Tiger, which is also Ryo's trademark in Shenmue and can be seen on the back of his jacket. Please look forward to "Shenmue The Animation," which is scheduled to be released in 2022, as we are working to make the world of Shenmue easy to grasp and enjoyable to all.

Shenmue The Animation

This year, Suzuki did not explicitly link his comments to the keyword that he gave recently in the Famitsu survey ("mix") but did provide some insight into his recent game playing with his praise for the atmospheric adventure game Little Nightmares II. Finally, it is clear that Shenmue will play an important role in 2022, notably with the upcoming anime release - whether we may have any other Shenmue-related project announcements is still up for speculation.

Survey (Japanese): 4Gamer.net

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Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Yu Suzuki's Keyword for 2022: "Mix" + Announcement Hint [Famitsu.com]

"127 Game Creators' New Year's Resolutions" (the waving tiger represents the 2022 animal sign of the Chinese Zodiac: the Tiger)

As in previous years, Japanese website Famitsu.com has released their annual survey of members of the games industry, this time interviewing a total of 127 game creators. The survey asks each to choose a word or phrase that sums up their direction for the coming year, as well as a New Year's Resolution and goal.

As per tradition Famitsu has recycled their favorite photo of Yu Suzuki from their archives (their 2016 interview).

This year, Yu Suzuki wraps up the survey as the very last entry in the article. Here are his responses, translated from the original Japanese:

Q: Your Keyword for 2022?

YS: "Mix" [Suzuki uses the word borrowed from English, and also adds the English spelling of the word].

Q: Your New Year's Resolution?

YS:
To work with people from different industries, such as movies and musicians.
I want to bring a different style to game making.
I hope to have something to announce in 2022.

Q: Status update?

YS: Unusually for me, I've been playing games... I can't really have discussions with people around me unless I know at least the trends. I've been delighted to see so many interesting and unique games.

Q: What will you be keeping an eye on in 2022?

YS: Of course, Shenmue the Animation, scheduled for release in 2022! It will allow the world of Shenmue to be enjoyed much more conveniently than the games. Everyone will be able to enjoy it, so please look forward to it.

For the first question, Yu Suzuki replies with the word "mix", most likely using the word from English for convenience. It seems likely this ties in to his New Year's Resolution in his second response where he talks of working with people across different industries, with movies and music being given as examples. This harkens back to the novel approach he took with development for the original Shenmue project, as he described in a 2019 interview with IGN Japan:

"The industry didn't have directors, or people experienced at motion capture - it was a new concept. Games didn't have things like voiced lines or acting. So to implement it, I gathered people from various different industries: a movie person, a scriptwriter, a novelist and so on".

Excitingly, a game-related announcement within the coming year is hinted at. Whether or not this may be Shenmue related is left open, but fans will be waiting with great interest for any news of a new game project from YS Net.

While Yu Suzuki has famously professed to rarely playing games himself during his career, last year, in a separate interview with IGN Japan, he spoke of the need to be aware of the expectations of gamers other than existing fans for development of the next Shenmue game. His next response in the survey confirms that he has been putting words into action with hands-on play to stay abreast of game releases and trends.

Finally, Yu Suzuki highlights the release of the upcoming Shenmue Anime, of which he is executive producer, in 2022. It is looking to be a significant year for Shenmue!

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Yu Suzuki's Plans for 2021: "Shooting / RPG" plus a Sequel Tease [Famitsu.com]

"110 Game Creators' New Year's Resolutions" (the jumping cow represents the 2021 animal sign of the Chinese Zodiac: the Ox)

As in previous years, Japanese website Famitsu.com has released their annual survey of members of the games industry, interviewing a total of 110 game creators. The survey asks each to choose a word or phrase that sums up their direction for the coming year, as well as a New Year's Resolution and goal.

The survey responses may be new, but Famitsu's recycled photo of Yu Suzuki is not! (It's from their 2016 interview, in fact).

Here are Yu Suzuki's responses for this year's survey:

Q: Your Keyword for 2021?

YS: Shooting / RPG.

Q: Your New Year's Resolution?

YS:
1) Look back on competitive fighting games.
2) The sequel to...

Q: Status update?

YS: On November 19th, 2020, Shenmue III was released on Steam and GOG. I hope that the New Year of 2021 will be a time for people to unwind at home and heal their body and soul with a relaxing game like Shenmue.

Q: What will you be keeping an eye on in 2021?

YS: I sincerely hope that the coronavirus will be contained and that the Tokyo Olympics will be held safely and smoothly.

In Yu Suzuki's response to the first question about his keyword for next year he mentions two seemingly-distinct game styles. This may be an indication of that his studio will have multiple projects in progress including a shooter / shoot-em-up game and an RPG (presumably excluding the FREE-based Shenmue).

Yu Suzuki hinted in Famitsu's previous survey, which came soon after the successful release of Shenmue III, that he had been planning to start "a new project" in the upcoming year. In IGN Japan's April interview, he also expressed interest in creating new games across various genres (racing, fighting, fantasy, science fiction, story-based games, titles suitable for esports). We have not heard any concrete news from YS Net since then - could it be that that projects revolving around one or both of these ideas are already underway?

In the second response, one of Yu Suzuki's New Year's Resolutions is to "look back" on competitive fighting games. It would be an exciting development if the father of the Virtua Fighter franchise were to develop a new twist on combat games.

The other part to the New Year's Resolution response was left deliberately open-ended: "The sequel to..." - surely a tease especially for Shenmue fans! Yu Suzuki spoke earlier in the year, in the above-mentioned IGN Japan interview, of his desire to continue on to a Shenmue IV if the demand is there, and I'd like to think that this response is a reaffirmation of that, or even better an indication that there may be some movement behind the scenes for the sequel.

We feel hopeful that there will be some interesting project news announced by Yu Suzuki and YS Net in 2021.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Yu Suzuki's Plans for 2020: "A New Project Start" [Famitsu.com]

Japanese website Famitsu.com has published their traditional annual survey of members of the games industry, this time interviewing a total of 110 game creators. They were asked to choose a word that sums up their direction for the coming year, as well as their New Year's Resolution and goal for the coming year.

Here are the answers Yu Suzuki provided for the coming year:

Q: What is your keyword for 2020?
YS: "A new project start".

Q: What is your New Year's Resolution?
YS: To leverage my know-how from Shenmue III and focus on planning a world with even more freedom.

Q: What will you be keeping an eye on in 2020?
YS: Of course that would be the Olympics. Please try out Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Something else that captures my interest is Mulan.

In the last response, Suzuki (who still has a consulting role with Sega) gives a shout-out to Sega's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which was recently released for the Nintendo Switch and for which there are plans to release as an arcade cabinet this year. Mulan is an upcoming historical period drama set in China which is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1998 animated film of the same name.

Of most interest to Shenmue fans is Yu Suzuki's revelation that he is commencing a new project, and in his second answer he mentions planning out a "world with even more freedom" than Shenmue III.

Could this new project be Shenmue IV? Continuing on to make the next Shenmue game in the series is something Suzuki has previously indicated he would like to do (for example in this Museo Dreamcast interview), and furthermore it would make sense do so while the current development team is in place. At the same time, Suzuki no doubt also has ideas and concepts for other projects, so no doubt the eyes of all fans will be watching closely for further information.

Sunday, December 30, 2018

2018 End-of-Year Interview with Yu Suzuki [4Gamer.net]

A couple of days ago, Famitsu.com released a short end-of-year interview with Yu Suzuki as one of a number of figures interviewed across the games industry.

And now, Japanese website 4Gamer.net has put out a similar survey, and we have translated Yu Suzuki's responses below. He touches on the same theme as for the Famitsu interview, but with a slight variation in his wording which helps to clarify his earlier comment.

Q1: Among the games that were released in 2018, which title were you most interested in (or had the greatest impact on you)?
YS: I was so focused on the development of Shenmue, that I had absolutely no time to play other games.

Q2: Of the entertainment content that was released or announced during 2018, which one left the deepest impression?
YS: "Ready Player One," a movie which has VR as its theme. After being involved in HMD (head mounted display) type VR games in the arcades in 1991, with the passing of time VR is now booming again.
The way the future of VR is portrayed in this movie is done with just the right amount of humor, and is a touch I like.

Q3: Which figure personally caught (or is catching) your attention in 2018?
YS: Mr. Donald [Trump] and [Japanese prime minister] Mr. Abe.
They were the ones who concerned me most, in various ways.

Q4: What is your New Year's Resolution for 2019, and could you also give a message for 4Gamer readers?
YS: Shenmue III is scheduled for release in August.
I believe that the balance between the user cycle and the economy will be another new point of attraction for open worlds.
I want to deliver the leisurely-paced world of Shenmue to everyone soon.

As in the Famitsu.com interview, Yu raises the same theme of "Balance" again, specifically in regards to balancing the user cycle (player interactions) with the economy that exists within the game world. Based on the context of his comment, it appears that this is an aspect that Yu has refined for Shenmue III.

With less than eight months to go until its release, there is not too much longer to wait before we will be able to experience it for ourselves.

Translation by Switch

Source (Japanese): 4Gamer.net

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Friday, December 28, 2018

Yu Suzuki's Keyword for 2019: "Balance" [Famitsu.com]

Japanese website Famitsu.com has published their traditional annual survey of members of the games industry, this time interviewing a total of 119 game creators. They were asked for a single "keyword" to summarize their direction for 2019, and their New Year's Resolution.

Yu Suzuki again participated, and here are his replies:

Q: What is your keyword for 2019?
YS: "Balance". I'm looking forward to what's to come for open-world user cycles and games that are perfectly-balanced economically.

Q: What is your New Year's Resolution?
YS: Once Shenmue III is successfully released in August 2019, I hope players will spend a leisurely time inside the unique world of the new Shenmue.

Q: What will you be keeping an eye on in 2019?
YS: I can't think about anything other than Shenmue. (laughs)

Yu's comments about his chosen keyword, "balance", no doubt reflect themes of interest within the context of his development of Shenmue III.

The phrase "user cycle" can refer to the patterns of interaction over time that a player has with a game (such as how frequently and for how long they play) as well as their actions within the game.

Regarding the comment on the economic aspect, my initial speculation was that here Yu may have been referring to the challenge of attaining balance between development budget and game sales. However in a subsequent interview published by 4Gamer, Yu's comments indicate that he is talking about the balance between the user cycle and the economics within an open-world game itself.

Not surprisingly, it is clear that Yu is completely focused on Shenmue III, as he and team work towards its release date of 27th August 2019.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Yu Suzuki's Keyword for 2018: "Immersion" [Famitsu.com]

Japanese website Famitsu.com has carried out their annual survey, interviewing 107 game creators to ask their resolution for the year ahead and personal direction for 2018.

"Game Creators' New Year's Resolutions for 2018"

Yu Suzuki has taken part, and his responses are given below.

Yu Suzuki, CEO of YS NET.

Q: What is your keyword & New Year's Resolution for 2018?

YS: "Immersion": focusing all my energy on Shenmue III.

Q: Please give an update on the current status.

YS: Shenhua's face has finally reached a state I am happy with. A difference of just 1 mm can greatly affect one's impression.

Going forward, I'll be refining things like her expressions and hair.

Given the characteristics of physically-based rendering, my feeling has undergone a change: Shenhua should not be "made", but rather "fostered".

This last comment from Yu is an no doubt a reflection of his experience with Unreal Engine, compared to methods of creation of the past. It can also be appreciated that the fine-tuning of her character model is a gradual, on-going process in order to bring it into line with his vision.

Translation by Switch
Source (Japanese): Famitsu.com

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Thursday, December 28, 2017

2017 Yu Suzuki's End-Of-Year Comments to 4Gamer | Romance in Shenmue 3

Each year, 4Gamer.net asks a number of prominent figures in the game industry a few questions about the past year as well as thoughts for the year to come.

This year, they interviewed the largest number to date, receiving replies from 182 people. And of course, Yu Suzuki was again among those.

The four questions, which follow the same format each year, are:

Out of the games released in 2017, which title(s) interested you most / had the most impact on you?
Of all the entertainment content released or shown in 2017, which title(s) made the greatest impression on you?
Which person/people caught your attention in 2017?
What are your plans for 2018, and could you also give a message for our readers?

Read on to find out how Yu answered these for 2017.

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Thursday, December 29, 2016

Yu Suzuki's New Year Resolution [Famitsu.com, Dec 29]

Famitsu.com has asked 110 Japanese game developers to comment on the upcoming 2017 (this theme sounds somewhat familiar...), and naturally Yu Suzuki is one of these.

"110 Game Developers' New Year's Resolutions for 2017"

While other developers have answered with a paragraph or two, Yu keeps his answer short and sweet - which is totally understandable given the way that game developers in Japan seem to get flooded with interview requests at the year end.

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Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Yu Suzuki Comments on the Past & Coming Year [4Gamer.net, 28 Dec 2016]

Yu Suzuki was one of the 149 prominent games industry figures who were surveyed by Japanese games site 4Gamer.net in their feature published today.

A montage of some of the 149 (mainly Japanese) game industry leaders to contribute comments.

Four questions were asked, covering games & media of this past year, as well as looking ahead to 2017. Read on for the questions and Yu's comments.

Note: the translation of another much larger interview from DenFamiNicoGamer.jp is also in the works, the first part of which will be posted within the next couple of days. It is a good time of year for interviews!

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Monday, December 29, 2025

Notes on the Keyword “Maru”

Shenmue III Enhanced

2026 World Baseball Classic

OutRun Film Adaptation

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