Yu Suzuki Mini-Interview: "Similarities with Shenmue" | 30th Anniversary of Virtua Fighter Video

Together with the announcement of a new Virtua Fighter game at The Game Awards, Sega released a mini-interview with Yu Suzuki to commemorate the "30th anniversary" of the Virtua Fighter franchise.  As part of this, a short video interview with Yu Suzuki was released.

(Technically, Virtua Fighter premiered in the arcades in 1993, with the December 1994 timing most closely tying in to its release on the Sega Saturn console in November 1994). 

Within the interview, in which Suzuki recalls development of the original Virtua Fighter, Shenmue also gets a mention in relation to the background graphics:

"The backgrounds in particular are a variety of Asian themes, which I like. The detailed renditions were quite noteworthy to me. I faintly* feel some similarities with Shenmue".

- Yu Suzuki (official subtitles)

*Note: Suzuki's words don't actually imply "faintly"; a closer translation would simply be: "I feel some similarities with Shenmue". 

In a past interview with 4Gamer in 2017, Suzuki declared "Going forward, I'm aiming for graphics you can smell". And so we can take his comment about the background and scenery graphics seen for the new Virtua Fighter as high praise:

"They've grown more and more realistic, so much that you can almost smell them."

Suzuki praises the realistic background graphics (image grab from the new Virtua Fighter trailer)

Suzuki is also impressed by the battles seen in the footage for the new Virtua Fighter game, especially its collision detection as seen by the following line. Note: this is a full translation of his words; the video subtitles are incomplete:

"[In particular,] when your punch lands on your opponent, there's a moment where the hit is absorbed by the flesh, and then the power is transmitted, sending them flying".

Achieving this level of detail into battles echoes something Yu-san mentioned he wanted to achieve himself (and demonstrated with a slow-motion punch to his own face!) during the Shenmue community interview by the Shenmue Dojo and Phantom River Stone earlier in the year. 

View the Video

A transcript of the interview subtitles follows below.

Video Transcript: Sega Mini-Interview with Yu Suzuki

Q: Now that Virtua Fighter is looking at its 30th anniversary, could you say a few words?

Yu Suzuki: Happy 30th anniversary! I'd like to thank everyone for these 30 years, building the Virtua Fighter brand into what it is now. When we developed the world's first full 3D fighting game, I can still remember working on it, and excitedly wondering how it would be received by the public.

Q: Could you share your feelings on Virtua Fighter?

Yu Suzuki: The Virtua Fighter characters back then were built out of what looked like cardboard boxes.

They didn’t look anywhere near human. Internally, we called them names like Robo 1 and Robo 2,  since they looked like robots. Virtua Fighter has evolved since then, and now the characters finally look human. Thinking about it fills me with emotions.

Q: Could you talk a little bit about your thoughts on the announcement of a new Virtua Fighter game?

Yu Suzuki: These are just my feelings after watching the footage, but the backgrounds in particular are a variety of Asian themes, which I like. The detailed renditions were quite noteworthy to me. I faintly feel some similarities with Shenmue.

They've grown more and more realistic, so much that you can almost smell them. That's how believable they look now. The part that leaves the biggest impression on me is the battling. Even just the demo looked really good. I get the feeling this one is going to be a big hit.

The main point of focus is the "collision detection". When your punch lands on your opponent, there's a moment where the hit is absorbed by the flesh, and then the power is transmitted, sending them flying.

It feels incredibly realistic, and I feel like the battle systems have gotten really close to what I've always envisioned.

Q: Could you say a few words about the future of the Virtua Fighter series?

Yu Suzuki: Now that I've heard that the RGG [Ryu Ga Gotoku] team is going to be working on Virtua Fighter, I'm very excited. I hope I can play it soon.

That's all from me!

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TBS Interview with Yu Suzuki: Arcade Game Development at SEGA (Feb 2022)

This post contains the contents of a TV interview held with Yu Suzuki and other guests on the Japanese TBS channel in February 2022. The interview was originally shown on TBS as an episode in a series called X年後の関係者達 ("X Years Later: Those Who Were Involved") where key figures reflect and comment on past accomplishments.

This time the episode featured Yu Suzuki, joined by three others from the game industry at the time, with the MC being Kazlaser, a Japanese comedian who is known for his love of Sega, who participated through a video link. Suzuki talks about the development of some of his hit arcade games at Sega in the 1980s through to the 1990s. (Shenmue also gets a mention!)

--- Start of transcript ---

Narrator:

Let's go back 37 years, to 1985.

In the world of arcade games, where tabletop cabinets once dominated, two revolutionary games emerged in succession. The world's first motion-sensing game, Hang On. And UFO Catcher, which still boasts immense popularity today. The name of the company reshaping the landscape of game centers with its ideas and development power was: SEGA.

What enabled Sega to consistently produce groundbreaking games one after another?

X years later, former members of Sega's arcade division gather for a reunion.

Yu Suzuki with the episode's participants

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for January 2024

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:

"Yu Suzuki on Arcade Game Development at SEGA + Keiji Okayasu on the Virtua Fighter Port to the Saturn"

A TV interview with Yu Suzuki on the Japanese TBS channel in February 2022 will form the basis of this upcoming post, in which he discusses several of the arcade games he developed while at Sega in the 1980's through to the 1990's, such as Hang On, R-360 and Virtua Fighter.

Comments from Keiji Okayasu (who later went on to become Game Director for Shenmue I and Director for Shenmue III) will also be included on the technical process and challenges involved with the much-lauded port of Virtua Fighter for the Sega Saturn.

Coming in a future post on the blog.

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Yu Suzuki to Appear on Japanese TV on 1st Feb 2022 | SEGA Arcade Game Developer Reunion

Yu Suzuki will feature on TV in Japan on 1st Feb, 2022 in a reunion of the developers who turned out revolutionary hits in SEGA's arcade division over the years.

"We'll go back in time 37 years & take a closer look at the behind-the-scenes development, never revealed before."

Short promo video:

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March 2021 Yu Suzuki Interview Part Two | SEGA Hard Historia

Part Two of our translation of a new interview with Yu Suzuki that was published in the recently-released SEGA Hard Historia book, featuring retrospectives with various key developers and staff members over the years.

Part One can be found here if you haven't yet read it:

• Yu Suzuki Interview: SEGA Hard Historia - Part One

In the second and final part of the interview, Yu-san talks about the evolution of 3D in games, and the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast eras.

Source material supplied by SkillJim (James Brown). Check out his SEGA Hard Historia unboxing video at the end of the article!

The interview translation continues below, with Yu describing how he gathered video footage for Out Run during his trip in Europe.

YS: We took videos with a camera to the hood and near the wheel suspension, attached with duct tape or string. It also had a sunroof, so I opened the sunroof and filmed from there. When I was thinking over what the player's car should be, I saw a red Ferrari outside a public casino in Monaco. A Testarossa. And it was a convertible. "That's it!", I thought, "There's no car more exciting, no car with more presence, no other car more enviable!" And the sunshine, unlike in Japan, was so crisp and clear. With its vivid red color shining brightly, under a blue sky and white clouds - I knew this was it.

Q: You next went on to create After Burner and G-LOC. What motivated you to create those?

YS: Well, there wasn't anything connecting on to these games. Mr. Hayao Nakayama, who was the (Sega) president at the time, was talking a lot about how MicroProse had released a flight simulator that had become a hit in the US. He was always saying, "Don't we have a flight simulator?" So I thought, "Why don't we make a flying game?"

It was like when I was working on Out Run and Hang On. Namco had games like Pole Position, and there was a general perception that racing games were Namco's thing. So when Mr. Nakayama said, "Don't we have a racing game?" I thought, "I should make one." (laughs) When I started Hong On, I had thought of making a racing game, but cars running into one other didn't seem very appropriate, so I decided to go with Hang On. So that's why there was this sense that Namco was the only company that made racing games. If I was going to make a game, I wanted to make one with something like the F14. Also, part of it was because Space Harrier gave me the chance to try something I hadn't done before. At the time, there was no 3D hardware, you see.

So I rendered 3D airplanes with a 3D library I had built, and made use of the resulting set of images, switching between them. I input all the data for the plane by hand, using 3D software tools I wrote myself. As they were sprites, I was free to hand-draw them how I wanted, but if I made the missiles look too smooth, they wouldn't look 3D. I wanted them to have a polygonal appearance, so I purposely made them hexagonal.

After Burner: Suzuki deliberately gave the missiles a hexagonal look

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Mar 2021 Yu Suzuki Interview: SEGA Hard Historia | Part 1/2

A new interview with Yu Suzuki was published in the recently-released SEGA Hard Historia book, featuring retrospectives with various key developers and staff members over the years. In this first part of the interview, Yu-san talks about his early game development days at Sega. The interview took place in March this year (2021).

Special thanks to James Brown for supplying the source material. James also has a superb unboxing video introducing the complete SEGA Hard Historia package, linked at the end of the article.

The interview translation (Part One) starts below.

AM2's Yu Suzuki gained immense popularity with his series of legendary hits in Sega's arcades, as well as ports such as Virtua Racer, in the Mega Drive's later years, and Virtua Fighter for the Sega Saturn. Sega's legendary creator reveals story upon story from those days...

Anecdotes on arcade hits and what Sega was like at that time

Q: What was Sega like when you joined the company (1983)?

YS: SEGA was originally a foreign company, so at that time, all the documents were in English. Issue sheets and all sorts of other things were all in English. It struck me as a somewhat peculiar company. I was in the development section - at the start I was asked if I wanted to be in Software, Design (which is what art was called) or Sound. I was interested in all three, but my boss, Mr. Yoshii, told me that software was the way to go, so I joined Software. I still remember that the Software and Hardware sections were in the same general area. Later, Sega would be divided into the Hardware section, Software section, Console section, and Amusements section, but at that time, Software and Hardware were huddled together in the same place.

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Part 2/2: Shenmue the Animation: Famitsu Interview with Yu Suzuki & Yu Kiyozono [ENG Translation]

This is the second and final part of Famitsu's interview with two of the key people behind the project: producer Yu Kiyozono and executive producer Yu Suzuki.

This translation continues from Part One.

Famitsu: It really is a creation with many passionate fans; did you feel any trepidation about your decision to make it into an anime?

Kiyozono: Yes, of course - a lot!

Famitsu: [laughs]

Kiyozono: First of all, there was the hurdle of whether I would be able to get an OK from Yu-san, and since I was wanting to make Shenmue, I would also have to obtain permission from the publisher, Sega.

Even though we belong to the same company group, I still felt pressure. Among the high-ups who were in a position to give permission for the proposal for the anime project, were many who once worked alongside Yu-san when they were younger, you see. They said to me, "Will you really be able to pull this off?"...

Famitsu: Immense pressure! [laughs]

Kiyozono: They told me I mustn't let Yu-san down. While feeling a bit of pressure at the way they asked "Can you make something that's respectable?", they responded to my desire to make it by allowing the project through.

Famitsu: I'm glad.

Kiyozono: Projects to turn something like Shenmue into an anime aren't that common in today's anime industry. Even so, with our team, I'm confident that we can make something worthy. It will be challenging and substantial, but I'm grateful to be able to take it on.

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[Part 1/2] Shenmue the Animation: Famitsu Interview with Yu Kiyozono & Yu Suzuki | ENG Translation

Following the recent announcement of Shenmue the Animation, Famitsu.com arranged an extensive interview with two of the key people behind the project: producer Yu Kiyozono and executive producer Yu Suzuki. This is Part One of our two-part full translation of the article.

Mystery and Anticipation: How "Shenmue the Animation" Came About

1999: the action-adventure game Shenmue was released for the Dreamcast. Its sequel Shenmue II was released in 2001 and then, after a long blank period, Shenmue III in 2019.

On 5 September 2020 an announcement was made for an anime, which was received with surprise and delight by Shenmue fans in Japan and around the world. It will be the first time an anime for the Shenmue series has been produced since its initial release.

Even with that being so, what prompted Shenmue to be made into an anime now in particular? With a view to learning how it came to be and the aim of its 2021 transformation to anime, we spoke with two Yu-san's: Yu Kiyozono, CEO of Telecom Animation Film and producer of this anime, and Yu Suzuki, creator of the Shenmue series.

Yu Kiyozono

President and CEO of Telecom Animation Film. Producer of Shenmue the Animation. Recently he has been working on TV movie versions of the Lupin the 3rd series.

Yu Suzuki

President and CEO of Ys Net. Creator of the Shenmue series. When at (then) Sega Enterprises, he worked on projects such as the Virtua Fighter series and Hang On, bringing into the world numerous revolutionary new games.

Why is Shenmue Being Made into an Anime Now?

Famitsu: I was extremely surprised to learn that Shenmue, the first part of which was released in 1999, will be made into an anime. Why is it that the "Shenmue the Animation" project has come about now, in 2020?

Kiyozono:  Well, to give a little explanation about the current state of the anime industry for background, it is partly because nowadays streaming-based services have grown immensely.

Famitsu: The Shenmue anime will be a joint production between the US anime streaming site Crunchyroll and the anime channel of the Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, won't it.

Kiyozono: Yes, with Telecom Animation Film creating the animation. These days, Japanese anime are watched not just in Japan but all over the world.

In the old days, an anime would be localized for overseas broadcasting: things like the music, the intro song, and even the content would be altered. It was normal for such "filters" to be applied before its overseas showing.

But the growing trend with streaming recently is to watch with on-screen subtitles, with the voices left as the Japanese of the original voice actors. Viewers overseas have started to want to enjoy them the way they were made by the Japanese creators.

Famitsu: Mm, mm.

Kiyozono: I had been wanting to further strengthen our overseas content delivery, and was looking for a strong title for overseas. I thought that Shenmue would be one contender. The game has sold well globally, and when we were getting the project off the ground it was also when Yu-san was working on making Shenmue III, so I was aware that it had a lot of passionate fans.

Regarding taking the animation project proposal to the original creators, I thought that with the content being from Sega Group, of which Telecom Animation Film is also a part, it would likely make it for a relatively smooth discussion, so I thought I'd make an initial enquiry... and that's how this project began.

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Official Shenmue Anime Announced | News

An anime adaptation of the Shenmue game series, called Shenmue -the Animation-, was announced on the Crunchyroll website during the Virtual Crunchyroll Expo. A single preview image below was released:

While various rumors are swirling around the net, this is what has been officially revealed so far:

• The series will consist of 13 episodes, with a plot that is based on the existing game trilogy (more specifically: "the story of the first game and most of the second").
• Animation production is by Telecom Animation Film (a subsidiary of TMS Entertainment which is owned be Sega Sammy Holdings), and directed by Chikara Sakurai (animation director on Naruto the Movie and director of season 2 of the animation TV series One Punch Man).
• The game's creator, Yu Suzuki, is named as Executive Producer for the project.
• In the US, the series will be shown on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Saturday nights in the Toonami block. It will be available elsewhere (excluding Japan & China) on video streaming service Crunchyroll. 
• Work on it has been going on for a while as the project was greenlit "right after the release of Shenmue 3".
• Jason DeMarco, senior vice president and creative director on-air for Adult Swim, was the one who brought the anime project about, acknowledging in a tweet that "It was me that decided to make the show and took it to our partners."

DeMarco in a statement also said, "The world of Shenmue is fascinating and unique and we are so excited to partner with Yu Suzuki to bring his epic creation to anime - and make a kick-ass martial art epic!"

Further details are expected to be announced during the Expo's stage presentation (Sat, Sep 5, 2020 12:00 PM - 12:45 PM PT) .

The Toonami Facebook page has also announced an upcoming interview with Yu Suzuki:

"Check out an interview with Suzuki on crunchyrollexpo.com tomorrow, and get ready for the series coming to Toonami and Crunchyroll!"

Update: the interview is now available: 

• Video Q&A with Yu Suzuki and Chikara Sakurai 

Other Information

There has also been an interesting tweet from AestheticGamer, who teased the anime announcement in the days before the event. He shared the following information (note that this is not part of an official announcement, but included here for reference):

"The Animation will air on Adult Swim (as they're backing it) & Crunchyroll, the 13-episode season tackles the first game and part of the second game. Includes a lot of story ideas they never got to put into the game either due to budget, time, or mature rating reasons. It'll be an adult animated retelling of Shenmue 1 & 2 with lost story beats, series creator Yu Suzuki has been involved to help the adaption & to realize the previously scrapped story elements to realization."

Cedric Biscay, the CEO of Shibuya Productions and co-producer of Shenmue III, also revealed that his company has no direct involvement in the project. He also gave an assurance that the anime series will have "no impact" on a potential Shenmue IV:

"1) My company and myself are not involved , it can be considered as a « derivated product » like anime usually does with manga. 

2) There is no impact on a potential Shenmue IV game."

Sources:

• Announcement on Crunchyroll (archived)
• Tweets from Jason DeMarco's account (Tweet1, Tweet2, Tweet3, Tweet4, Tweet5, Tweet6)
• IGN Japan article (Japanese)
• Tweet from AestheticGamer
• Tweet from Cedric Biscay
• Facebook post from Toonami

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Project Team Memories of Working on Shenmue | Famitsu Article Translation

This is a translation of an article published online by Famitsu.com in November 2018 to commemorate the release of Shenmue I & II. Comments about working on the original Shenmue project were gathered from:

• Masaya Matsukaze (Ryo Hazuki)
• Takahiro Sakurai (Lan Di, Goro, Yuan)
• Megumi Yasu (Nozomi)
• Ikue Otani (Fangmei)
• Rio Natsuki (Joy)
• Tow Ubukata
• Toshihiro Nagoshi
• Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
• Yasuhiro Takagi
• Kenji Miyawaki

The translation begins below.

In commemoration of the release of Shenmue I & II for the PS4 on 22nd November 2018, we gathered comments from some of the staff members and performers who were involved with the creation of the original games. Enjoy hearing them speak about their remembrances and hardships of the time. (See our separate article to read comments from Fujioka Hiroshi).

Masaya Matsukaze

Role: Ryo Hazuki

"Ryo Hazuki is my other self"

Back when amusement arcades were booming, arcade game hit-maker Yu Suzuki turned his talent to creating a home console game. There was a large-scale audition that attracted actors in the motion picture industry, and as I was a Mega Ranger at the time that is when I first met Yu-san.

The game started as "Virtua Fighter RPG", and its genre was the world's first of its kind, designated as "FREE" (an acronym for Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment") but these days called open-world. What Yu-san ideally wanted was "freedom in everything, where things you would expect to happen would naturally happen," and together with a staff of hundreds, he took on the challenge of creating a world that had never before been seen.

I was in charge of the motion capture and spoken lines for the protagonist, Ryo Hazuki. The actions ranged from basic movement like sitting and walking, through to those for QTE events where Ryo would punch or alternatively get punched. When he falls from a high place, that is me falling. Falling down from a height of 15 meters (!) would be fatal, so for this motion capture data for falling from a low height would be extended, along with motion capture for hanging in mid-air and dropping down, The spoken lines for striking up conversations with people had slight variations each time, so I recorded all the lines needed for talking to the same person multiple times, even if they would probably never be heard by the player. It was really a huge volume of recording.

Some of Yu Suzuki's works are on display in the Smithsonian Museum, and this legendary work set a new record in gaming history. Furthermore, this long journey continues on with Shenmue III. There is rarely such an opportunity to obtain a truly legendary work yourself at such an affordable price. I encourage everyone to pick up a copy!

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for August 2020

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 the winning topic for August is...

"Ryo's Bicycle Riding Ability: What Had Been Planned"

SEGA head teased Ryo's ability to ride a bicycle before the release of Shenmue, and a clip of Ryo riding through Dobuita had even been included in promotional footage in the months leading up to the game. So it came as a surprise to players to find that this feature was not present in the final game.

We will gather together the clues that remain to piece together what had originally been planned.

Watch for an article on this topic in an upcoming blog post!

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Shenmue Selected by IGN Japan as All-Time Best SEGA Game

To celebrate the year of SEGA's 60th anniversary, IGN Japan counted down their all-time top 10 SEGA games.

And ranking in at first place is Shenmue - specifically, the first game in the series!

IGN Japan's Esra Krabbe commented on the magic of Shenmue as follows (translation):

"Shenmue undeniably had a tremendous influence on the games that followed it, although now of course there are many games that - on the surface, at least - far surpass it. However, this is not a title that can be simply dismissed as "old". Its design, which focuses on density over area size and reality over entertainment, creates a real, believable world that amazes even now. Shenmue follows real-world rules to an extent that some might find tedious, and with some of its highlights being details that can easily go unnoticed, it can be hard to understand what makes it so special. The premise of a young Japanese man traveling to China creates a unique setting. The story, which deals with concepts such as cultural values and communication across cultures and depicts a journey of finding one’s roots, forms something so powerful it can be life-changing, especially if you play it in your formative years".

IGN Japan's All-Time Top 10 SEGA Games 

1. Shenmue
2. Yakuza 0
3. Virtua Fighter 4
4. Nights into Dreams
5. Sonic Adventure
6. Valkyria Chronicles
7. Jet Set Radio
8. Sakura Wars 4
9. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA
10. Out Run

Notes on the selection:

• Eligibility: any game ever developed or published by SEGA, regardless of platform.
• Factors considered included historical impact, innovation and quality.
• In the case of a game series, only one title from the series could be selected.
• Titles by Atlus, a subsidiary of SEGA, were excluded.

Source: IGN Japan article (Japanese)

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for July 2020

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 the winning topic for July is...

"Memories about working on Shenmue I & II by various Japanese voice actors & project members".

In November 2018, when Shenmue I & II was released in Japan, Famitsu.com gathered comments from several of the original members of the Japanese cast and development team, and asked them to share their memories of creating the games. Included were Masaya Matsukaze (voice & motion actor for Ryo), Ikue Ōtani (voice of Megumi), Tow Ubukata (scenario writing) and Takenobu Mitsuyoshi (music).

We will be translating their comments into English in an upcoming blog post.

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Shenmue I & II Sound Collection Online from SEGA

SEGA has today made the #Shenmue I & II Soundtrack collection available online!

The full collection of 40 songs can be streamed for free, or purchased through one of the many services.
Here is the title list in English:

Enjoy listening to the collection now on...

YouTube Music
Spotify

The complete collection can be purchased for 1580 yen (about $15 USD).

• Purchase the Shenmue I & II Collection or explore all available services

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Submit a Message for SEGA's 60th Anniversary

On June 3rd, SEGA will be celebrating their 60th anniversary, and they are inviting fans to take part in the celebrations by submitting a celebratory message (with an optional image).

Messages may be in Japanese or English and will be displayed on the official SEGA site from June 3rd, but submissions will be accepted up to June 30th. It is planned to display all submissions, if feasible.

A draw will also be held among those who submitted a message to win one of 60 limited-edition commemorative satchels, inscribed with a 60th Anniversary logo. Winners will be contacted for delivery information by email.

How to Submit a Message

The steps are simple, and the entry form has both Japanese and English.

1. Access the SEGA site at https://60th.sega.com/message/send/ and scroll to the bottom. Press the white button at the bottom of the page to go to the entry form.
2. Select an icon from the 60 available options, which will be displayed with your message  Both Shenmue and the Dreamcast console are available, as well as a number of Yu Suzuki's classic arcade games.
   
   
3. Enter a nickname to be displayed with your message.
4. Enter your message text (up to 280 characters).
5. [Optional] Attach an image.
6. Supply your email address.
7. Check the "Agree" checkbox regarding personal information.
8. Click the Preview button.
9. Click the Submit button.
10. Done!

This is a great chance to show some support for SEGA and the Shenmue franchise, and perhaps be one of the lucky 60 winners of the commemorative satchel!

Remember, submissions will be displayed from June 3rd, with final cut-off on June 30th.

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Steven Spielberg's Reaction to Virtua Fighter RPG Helped Greenlight Development

A photo of Steve Spielberg visiting Yu Suzuki and the development studio during the 1990s has emerged online, in an written interview by Japan's 4Gamer with the then-business-director of AM2 ( Hisashi Suzuki - yes, another Suzuki!).

With Steve Spielberg was Mark Cerny, who was not working at SEGA at the time but was accompanying Spielberg for another project.

Sega Development Studio tour. Top: Hisashi Suzuki (AM2 business director), Yu Suzuki (AM2 development head), Hisao Oguchi (AM3 development head), Steven Spielberg, Mark Cerny. Bottom: Mie Kumagaya (AM3 developer) and Steven Spielberg's son.

Due to Spielberg's enthusiastic comments ("wonderful!") on being shown Virtua Fighter RPG, Shenmue's early form, apparently SEGA's CEO was put in such a good mood that he greenlit the start of full-on development.

A second photo of Yu Suzuki with Steven Spielberg and son has been previously shared before online:

Yu Suzuki with Steve Spielberg and son, most likely taken during the same visit as the previous photo.

It's interesting to identify that this photo is likely to have been during the same office visit, based on the matching clothing.

The 4Gamer article contains other interesting anecdotes about Yu Suzuki and Shenmue so we hope to be able to provide a translation of these parts on the blog in the future.

Source: 4Gamer (Japanese)

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Yu Suzuki Interview by GameCores | Part One: Early Games Development at Sega

Thanks to the prolific translation efforts of yuc02, a newly-translated interview with Yu Suzuki is now available. The text is a transcript of an interview on a radio show by GameCores, which was held when Yu Suzuki was in China for the G-Fusion event last month (December 2018).

The translation starts below. Part Two to follow in a separate post.

GameCores Interview with Yu Suzuki Part One: Yu's Background

Original text (Chinese): https://www.gcores.com/articles/105359

This text is the full transcript of the interview that accompanies the radio program "Let Us Tell You What We Chatted with Yu Suzuki-san About". Thanks to Joe-san and Takeuchi-san’s support, and everyone else’s help with the recording and editing. Finally we thank WeGame for their full support and making this G-Fusion meet with Yu Suzuki possible!

Q: You were born into a family that revolved around the music profession, so why did you choose not to work in music, but instead the gaming industry?

YS: You’re right, my parents both worked in the music industry. They produced traditional music, and my father wanted me to carry on the work; but children are always a bit rebellious, and although I did dabble with music, I went instead towards the rock music route. Anyway, my view is that most children don’t develop in the way their parents would have wanted.

Q: When you were at Okayama University, you had already done research into 3D animation. What in particular did you research?

YS: 3D architecture drawings: building up from wireframe into surfaces that are correct from different perspectives. Personal computers at the time were quite primitive, so we used the mainframe computer at the university to run simulations as well.

Q: You entered Sega in 1983, and by 1984 you were already supervising your first project, the SG-1000 title Champion Boxing. It must be quite rare for someone to be able to take up such responsibility after just one year?

YS: At the time the term “supervisor” didn’t exist in Sega, I was just a project leader. Normally it would take 7-8 years’ experience to be one, and even then only people from the planning department would become a project leader. I don’t know what my boss was thinking, but anyway I became one in my second year!

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Shenmue I & II Releases in Japan Today

Today (November 22nd) is the release of Shenmue I & II in Japan, exclusively for PS4, three months after its international release.

This fantastic image was drawn by @r_wuying (link to tweet).

Twitter is buzzing with tweets of anticipation and excitement, both from former players of the games and those who are excited to try it. Not being available on Steam in Japan, this will be the first time for most there to experience the new version.

The beautifully-packaged Limited Edition comes with a double-CD "Sound Collection" soundtrack (Japan only).
Photo credit: Nin-Nin Game

Gaming magazines and sites have also published articles such as this one from Famitsu [Japanese] introducing the game to newcomers and highlighting improvements made over the originals.

Shenmue-related events are also helping to stoke the Shenmue excitement, with collectible coasters being given away at selected shops in Dobuita, and a Shenmue fan meeting arranged in December.

• Related post: Shenmue Coaster Collectibles in Yokosuka | Shenmue Sacred Spot Campaign

A positive reception in Japan will hopefully translate to robust sales, and stir anticipation for Shenmue III which will release on 27th August of next year.

Link to the official Shenmue I & II site for Japan

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Shenmue Coaster Collectibles & Dec 24th Fan Meeting in Yokosuka | Shenmue Sacred Spot Campaign

In a follow-up to their production of a Shenmue-themed guide map for the Dobuita Street area and environs last year, Yokosuka City and SEGA Japan have teamed up again with a new promotion called the "Shenmue Sacred Spot Campaign" to mark the upcoming release in Japan of Shenmue I & II on the PS4 on November 22nd. The promotion runs from December through to February of next year.

This time, original Shenmue-themed coasters are being offered in exchange for a minimum purchase at one of the participating locations. Not only that, but there are full-size cardboard cut-out figures of characters stationed around the area, and a new Shenmue promotional map of the area has been produced. Plus, on December 24th there will be a fan meet-up with special guest Masaya Matsukaze, the voice of Ryo Hazuki in the Japanese version of the games.

Here's the information you need to know.

Shenmue Sacred Spot Campaign Map: Download

The promotion is based on locations around the town of Yokosuka, such as shrines, parks and shops, that evoke the 1986 setting of the first game in the series. This new campaign map highlights the sites of interest.

Download the map here (Japanese only).

Promotion Details & Period:

Receive an original coaster for every purchase of 500 yen (including tax) or more at participating shops and restaurants. There are 12 designs in total, distributed randomly.

The promotion consists of two stages, with the available designs differing for each:

• Stage One (6 designs): 4 December 2018 (Tue) to 11 January (Fri).
• Stage Two (6 designs): 12 January 2019 (Sat) to 24 February (Sun).

Participating Locations:

There are a total of 9 locations participating in this campaign, listed below. (Tap a name to open the location in Google Maps).

• MIKASA Cafe
• HONEY BEE
• Napoli:Piizeria
• Pumpkin bakery
• Ippuku restaurant
• Flower Shop Hanamatsu
• Kakita on Dobuita St
• Kan Mania Cafe on Dobuita St
• Suwa(dai) Shrine - here, only a souvenir stamp will be provided. 

Shenmue Photo Spots

Full-sized boards of characters from Shenmue as well as a forklift, will be set up at various locations on Dobuita Street - stop by to take some souvenir photos.

On their website, Yokosuka City encourages everyone to take this opportunity to come along and enjoy the world of Shenmue!

Shenmue Fan Meet-Up / Talk Event with Masaya Matsukaze

On December 24th, a Shenmue fan meeting & talk event with Masaya Matsukaze & other guests will be held in Yokosuka. The event is jointly sponsored by IGN Japan (Esra Krabbe will be MC) and Yokosuka City. Live-streaming is planned. Attendance is limited to 80 people, with registrations open now at this link.

Source: Yokosuka City Tourism website (Japanese), IGN Japan news article (Japanese)

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SEGA Japan's Dreamcast Bingo Give-Away

SEGA Japan has updated their website with a new page added to the hardware history section about the Dreamcast console.

The Shenmue games are among the selection of historical Dreamcast software titles mentioned, with the description text reading:

"The end of the year saw the appearance of an epic creation whose development had carried over from the era of the Sega Saturn: Shenmue Chapter 1: Yokosuka.

This work, which went on sale at the end of 1999, built on technology cultivated for the Virtua Fighter series, and played out its story with 3D-rendered characters in the 3D-built town of Yokosuka, on a scale that was a first for its time. The open world concept it presented had not existed until then, and it is said to have had a great impact on the game industry in subsequent years".

The Shenmue games are given a mention on SEGA Japan's page on the history of the Dreamcast console. 

In conjunction with this new article on the Dreamcast, SEGA Japan is running a "Dreamcast Bingo" give-away on Twitter - and it features the face of a familiar character!

Here is our translation of the Bingo board:

 Instructions to go into the give-away draw are as follows:

1. Follow the SEGA Japan twitter account.
2. Download the official Japanese Bingo board image from their tweet and circle/mark it with all squares that apply. Getting Bingo is not mandatory for entry!
3. Tweet out your marked version of the Bingo board image together with the hashtag #ドリキャスビンゴ

There are three prizes of a set of Dreamcast merchandise up for grabs. Entries are accepted until November 12th JST.

Note: As far as I have been able to determine, there are no stipulations regarding entry being restricted to Japanese twitter accounts, but it is likely the prize would be delivered only within Japan (for example, to the address of a forwarding company).

The Dreamcast merchandise prize set (3 sets)

Related links (Japanese):

• Link to SEGA's instructions for the give-away 
• Link to SEGA's Dreamcast history page on SEGA Japan's website

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