Update: Whoops! Sounds like Sega America CEO Simon Jeffrey was totally out of touch. "Yu Suzuki is at Sega and is Creative officer at Sega Corp," Jeffrey told GameDaily this afternoon, recanting his original remark to Gamasutra (see below).
Original: If we had made games like Virtua Fighter, Out Run, Shenmue and Virtua Cop, we'd kind of hope that we could spend our later years with feet propped up in an expansive Sega office being fed peeled grapes by Amy Rose. But that's not the case for legendary Yu Suzuki who, according to a Gamasutra interview with CEO of Sega of America Simon Jeffery, is no longer employed by the company.
"Yeah. He's kind of his own man right now. Every now and again, he'll come up with an idea, and I don't think anything has come out of that yet, but we're still working with him," he said.
In other news, Shenmue Online confirmed for 2009! Wait, did we say confirmed? We meant "absolutely never ever going to happen so put your fan fic into a rocket and shoot it into space." Sorry about that.
[Via 1UP]
Reader Comments (32)
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 11:44AM Tiptup300 said
WTF JOYSTIQ! You do not do that! Bad! No! You just made me gloriously happy...then you ripped my penis off, cut it in two, sawed it in half, ate it, vomited it out, ate it again, let it go through your digestive track, shit it out, blended it again, fed it to me, then attached it back. WTF!
Reply
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 10:38AM JACKOFNOTRADES85 said
I have some very fond memories of the first one on Dreamcast. lol, I loved working and using the forklift to gain money. It broke my heart when the game ended so fast.
Reply
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 12:33PM (Unverified) said
Hey, yo, Jack, are you the same Jack from a few months back who stopped posting for a few months?
Reply
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 1:03PM JACKOFNOTRADES85 said
Well im the same Jack from almost three years ago. I posted a few months back to talk to Killjebus.
Reply
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 10:41AM Pureshooter said
Hmmm...maybe someone can buyout Sega and hire Yu Suzuki as a 3rd party to develop another Shenmue!!
(cries self to sleep)
Reply
(cries self to sleep)
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 10:44AM foxhound said
I hope he left on his own terms/wishes...
...though this immediately halts any and all enthusiasm I had about any Yu Suzuki created & inspired games from this point forth. SEGA will most likely have Ryo Hazuki venturing to White Castle, Jacky Bryant Hair Styling, or Virtua Cop Ticket Writer games produced from this point forth. :(
Reply
...though this immediately halts any and all enthusiasm I had about any Yu Suzuki created & inspired games from this point forth. SEGA will most likely have Ryo Hazuki venturing to White Castle, Jacky Bryant Hair Styling, or Virtua Cop Ticket Writer games produced from this point forth. :(
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 11:01AM WiNGSPANTT from TopTierTacticsco said
On one hand, Shenmue brought us awesome storytelling and near-real-time gameplay.
On the other hand, it brought us quick time events.
All is forgiven, though, thanks to the ability to score tiny virtual plastic toys from a virtual toy dispenser!!!
Reply
On the other hand, it brought us quick time events.
All is forgiven, though, thanks to the ability to score tiny virtual plastic toys from a virtual toy dispenser!!!
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 1:31PM (Unverified) said
I like QTE events though. When done right they keep the action moving in an entertaining way.
Reply
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 11:26AM (Unverified) said
Virtua Cop was one of my favorite games form back in the day.
Well let's hope he starts his own company or something.
Reply
Well let's hope he starts his own company or something.
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 12:02PM (Unverified) said
Hm. That's a shame indeed. But I don't want Shenmue Online anyway, Shenmue 3 please. But not like that'll ever happen either.
Reply
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 12:09PM Batzarro The worlds WOrst Detect said
But...but...Shenmue 3?
Well, maybe he and Itagaki can get together and make a mix between DOA and Shenmue...
Reply
Well, maybe he and Itagaki can get together and make a mix between DOA and Shenmue...
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 12:32PM (Unverified) said
Sad news. If Shenmue 3 was almost impossible to happen with him in the company, now you can say it will never be released.
I bet Sega will launch a game called Shenmue 3 and all you do in it is play Lucky Hit.
Reply
I bet Sega will launch a game called Shenmue 3 and all you do in it is play Lucky Hit.
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 1:04PM (Unverified) said
That's sammys fault, those douchebags lose millions with their pachinko machines every year and when they do, they just make Sega Shut down studios and fire employees, thus affecting japan economy, making those people have to rob banks and sell their bodies for some money, with all those hookers accessible for cheap nobody would want to have sex with their girlfriends making the Japanese race extint, without the japanese most american will feel short and sad and end up killing themselfs making the world an England Empire.
and that's why Sammy is the root of all evil.
Reply
and that's why Sammy is the root of all evil.
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 1:11PM (Unverified) said
Finally, the real culprits for the dreamcast death!!! (besides sony)
Reply
Posted: Aug 12th 2008 2:01PM (Unverified) said
Hey guys, are you following Kotaku on this? As in, following the fact that he has not been at Sega for a while now? I don't know why 1UP and Gamasutra are running this info now, but you don't have to shovel it. Really.
Maybe no one picked up on it, but this news is a couple years old. I am pretty sure there was a Kikizo Interview about Digital Rex and Susuki.
Reply
Maybe no one picked up on it, but this news is a couple years old. I am pretty sure there was a Kikizo Interview about Digital Rex and Susuki.
Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.
Featured Stories
The most popular posts
in the last 7 days
- Vita 'UMD Passport' won't be offered in US 221 comments
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning review: A tempting fate 161 comments
- Blizzard taking Valve to court over 'DOTA' trademark 116 comments
- David Jaffe leaves Eat Sleep Play, layoffs hit developer [Update] 107 comments
- Don't call it a remake: Final Fantasy X is a 'remaster,' to be clear 95 comments









