Yu Suzuki currently planning for a western release of Shenmue City

Remarkably this news is a week old, but aside from this excerpt where Yu Suzuki was talking exclusive with GamesTM, I hadn’t heard anything else suggesting this was the case. The news is as follows;

Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki has revealed that he is currently planning to release the upcoming Shenmue City in English. When asked if the social network/mobile game might be converted to western-friendly platforms like iPhone or Facebook he teasingly replies, “There are plans but I cannot discuss them now.”

Which is kind of ridiculously huge news, at least in the sphere of browser based gaming. I actually had Shenmue City pegged as one of those things we’d get to admire from afar but never actually play like the Persona Social games or Final Fantasy Before Crisis, but it looks like plans are already afoot. Apparently there will be a further two stories beyond the initial one for Shenmue City players, and it will incorporate much of what was planned for the ill-fated Shenmue MMO from a few years back.

This announcement was part of a full interview with Yu Suzuki, that will be in the very next issue of the British magazine GamesTM coming out December 23rd, so be sure to pick it up if you’re able to! If not, 1UP have a pretty great interview up too, so no need to feel too bad then.

[Source: GamesTM]