“Sega’s Shenmue: The Untold PS2 and Xbox Journey That Nearly Redefined Gaming”

Shenmue – which celebrates its 25th anniversary today – stands as one of the most pivotal titles Sega has ever produced, not only because of its accolades but also due to the substantial risk it represented for the Japanese powerhouse during a period when it direly needed a commercial hit.

With exorbitant development expenses, it was a clear declaration of purpose from Sega and was aspired to be the Dreamcast’s definitive title. Nonetheless, the corporation was evidently already considering its cross-platform future, as it has come to light that Sega’s AM2 division adapted Shenmue for PS2 and Xbox, yet neither version was made public.

In a discussion with Famitsu (thanks, GameSpew), developer Norikazu Hirai acknowledged the PS2 adaptation. “It functioned. We modified the graphics system and made it entirely playable.” Makoto Wada further notes that “the shaders for the Dreamcast were set, and the PlayStation 2 needed to be configured to accommodate the shaders. From a gaming standpoint, had you wished to launch it, you could have done so.”

The title was also adapted for Xbox, which would have served as a perfect precursor to the sequel, launched on Microsoft’s console shortly after the Dreamcast edition. However, Wada indicates that this port was never released due to licensing complications.

“I believe it was due to licensing challenges, not technical problems. You see, it involved actual companies, like TIMEX watches and Coca-Cola beverages. That agreement was exclusively for the Dreamcast version of ‘Chapter 1’, hence I think it was set aside for reasons including its ineligibility for other consoles.”