Sega has announced that, along with JC Entertainment Corporation, they are going to co-develop and co-publish a new title in the Shenmue series entitled Shenmue Online. Shenmue Online will be a MMORPG set in China during the 1980s, where players will play the part of militants. Players will be able to use "mysterious powers, kung-fu, Chinese weapons, and Qigong" in real-time combat.
Yu Suzuki, the creator of the original Shenmue and Shenmue 2 titles, will supervise the development of the new Shenmue Online title. Details on how this new title will tie into the previous games in the series if at all have not yet been released.
Shenmue Online is slated for launch in Japan, Korea, and China sometime in 2005 after a closed and open beta test in Korea. Releases in the rest of the world are planned to follow sometime afterward.
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