Since the arrival of Shenmue III in 2019, many Xbox fans have been wondering if the third game will ever make its way across to Microsoft’s console platforms. While it might seem like the ship has sailed since then, there are now renewed hopes.

It all stems from an announcement by publisher ININ Games recently – revealing last week how it would be collaborating with developer Ys Net once more, as it’s now “officially acquired the publishing rights to Shenmue III” and would have “some news to share about this soon”.

“Alright, let’s make a proper announcement about this, shall we? We are thrilled to announce that we will be once more collaborating with Ys Net in the future, as we have now officially acquired the publishing rights to Shenmue III. We’ll have some news to share about this soon enough, so if you’re interested, watch this space!”

Unsurprisingly, it’s led to immediate requests for a release on Xbox and other platforms. One account on social media is also calling for Xbox players to “make some noise” and has even tagged Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer:

“Big news,#Xbox players! @ININ_Games now has publishing rights to #Shenmue 3 and wants to make it accessible to more players. If you’re interested, share & make some noise!”

This action-adventure game based on the famous Sega series by industry legend Yu Suzuki was originally released on the PlayStation 4 and Windows after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Below is a bit about the third entry and if you are curious to find out more about this series, Shenmue I & II are available now on Xbox.

“Journey deep into rural China as you take on the role of Ryo Hazuki, a Japanese teenager hellbent on finding his father’s killer—a story of adventure, mystery, friendship, martial arts, and ultimately, revenge!”

Would you like to see the third entry make its way across to Xbox at some point? Let us know in the comments.