Shenmue 3 left the series in a weird place. Despite being a sequel that fans had long abandoned hope for - eventually launching 18 years after the last game - designer Yu Suzuki made the decision to (spoiler alert) not finish the story. Yeah, that's right. After all this time, Ryo Hazuki still hasn't avenged his father's death. At this point, I'd just head back home, to be honest. And with Shenmue 3 not performing spectacularly, fans were, once again, losing hope that we'd ever see a conclusion to this saga. But that has all changed overnight, as hints are being dropped that Shenmue 4 has finally found a publisher. 110 Industries, the studio behind the upcoming third-person action game, Wanted: Dead, has teased that it's partnering with Yu Suzuki to bring the fourth Shenmue installment to life. This comes from the publisher's social media accounts, which acknowledge the rumours but refuse to elaborate on them. This also comes after Suzuki partnered with the company for a Tokyo Game Show appearance, fueling speculation of an upcoming announcement. Related: Now More Than Ever, Shenmue Deserves Our RespectAs spotted by GamesRadar, fans started running wild with the theory after they spotted an exchange in 110 Industries' Instagram comment section. A follower remarked that Wanted: Dead has "Shenmue vibes", and the company responded, "guess why [Yu Suzuki] was at our TGS stream". It has since been liking comments that ask if the studio is working on Shenmue 4, although it is not responding to them.

Since these initial reports, 110 Industries has only added fuel to the fire. In response to popular fan website Shenmue Dojo sharing an article on the potential partnership, the publisher simply responded: "No comment". In response to another fan, the account replies, "We love Yu-san. He's amazing." On top of this, the account's likes are full of articles referring to 110 Industries as the publisher.

We'll have to wait and see if there's any truth to these rumours. Yu Suzuki is yet to respond himself, and 110 Industries has been contacted for comment.

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