Shenmue Online
Shenmue Online (シェンムーオンライン「莎木OL, Shenmū Onrain) was a cancelled MMORPG set in the world of Shenmue. Players participate in scenarios from Shenmue II (2001), joining one of three clans, led by the characters Shen Hua, Xiu Ying and Wu Ying Ren.
Shenmue Online
- Date
- 2007
- Genre
- massively multiplayer online role-playing game
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wikidata · Q1080917 · wikipedia · Shenmue Online
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Shenmue Online • Developer — Sega • Publisher — Sega • Designer — Yu Suzuki • Released — Cancelled • Genre — MMORPG • Modes — Multiplayer • Platforms — Microsoft Windows
Development history
Development history
In 2004, Shenmue Online was announced to be development in joint venture between Sega Japan and JC Entertainment of Korea. A private beta testing period was due to begin in South Korea in November 2005, with a public beta in China in spring 2005, before a release later in 2005. When Shenmue Online was first announced, under the development of JC Entertainment, the screenshots released were considered by many Shenmue fans to be disappointing graphically, especially as being part of a game series that boasted ground-breaking graphics on the Dreamcast. In 2005, JC Entertainment pulled out of the development of Shenmue Online, and as they owned 50% of the properties of Shenmue Online, there was legal debate over who had the rights to the game. However, in November 2005, it was confirmed in an interview with Yu Suzuki that even though the Korean company JCE had announced their withdrawal from development, since Shenmue Online is a Sega venture, they would fulfil their duty of completing it. Yu said despite the internet rumours, development was well on its way and following their original goals and target. He added that Sega Sammy would make an official announcement about its progress in the future. At the China Joy convention in July 2006, with the development under the guise of a Taiwan-based company, a trailer was shown, which showcased features, including mini games and combat with marked graphical improvements. In 2006, six new screens from the gameplay along with a 14-minute video were released to the public during the fourth China Expo. These shots showed further improvement on graphical issues, comparing the graphics to other MMOs, and even home versions of Shenmue. Since 2007, news about Shenmue Online slowly declined and reports of its cancellation appeared on Destructoid and Wired. Sega did not publicly confirm or deny the reports, but the game never released.
Gameplay
Gameplay
Quoted from an interpretation of Yu Suzuki's 2005-11-05 interview:
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Japan
Named but not plotted · 1
Shenmue Online is associated with Japan.
Country
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Shenmue Online”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1080917: Shenmue Online
General reference · Wikidata
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Shenmue Online, revision 1369032482 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Shenmue Online Officially Announced.
- 2.Update: Shenmue Online. 3 August 2004.
- 3.Who's got the rights to Shenmue Online?.
- 4.Yu Suzuki Commentary.
- 5.Shenmue Online resurfaces.
- 6.Shenmue Online canceled: Who will move all of these online crates now?. 4 August 2007.
- 7.Arendt, Susan. Rumor:Shenmue Gone for Good. Wired. 2007-08-07.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- shengTerminology
- ShenmueWork
- Shenmue CityWork
- Shenmue IIWork
- Shenzhen I/OWork
- SheridanOrganisation
- SheriffWork
- SherlockWork
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