Sega has announced the Japanese release date for Shenmue II. The game, which follows the continuing adventures of Ryu as he travels to China to hunt down his father's killer, is now scheduled for Japanese release on September 8th, 2001. This suggests a fairly rapid localization will take place, since Sega has previously announced intentions to have the title ready for North America by the end of the year; whether this goal will remain in effect is obviously somewhat questionable now.

While Sega did announce the release date for Shenmue II, they did not announce any pricing information for the game. RPGamer will continue following this title as more information becomes available.