Following its announcement last year, Yu Suzuki and his team have been hard at work on Shenmue 3, the highly anticipated third entry in the series which started on the SEGA Dreamcast years ago. Things have been somewhat quite these past few months, but today Yu Suzuki himself provided a development update.

　　Work on Shenmue 3 seems to be proceeding smoothly, with the team moving into full production next year. Three new gorgeous work in progress screenshots have also been made available, and you can check them out below.

　　R&D for various game elements is on course as the development team shifts its focus towards production. Main game scenarios are nearing completion, motion capture tests are well under way, and voicing tests with the cast have begun. Yu-san and the production staff are happy to say they are enjoying the work as they continue to diligently make progress on the mini-games, events, and battles.

　　“I have been completely absorbed in development Shenmue III recently, and often stay at the studio throughout the night to make it the best game possible. My life has become Shenmue both day and night, and I’m happy.”-Yu Suzuki

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　　Shenmue 3 is currently in development for PC and PlayStation 4, and a release date for both formats has yet to be confirmed. If you're planning on getting the game on PC, you can pre-order it starting today.