With Shenmue 3 on the way thanks to an extremely successful Kickstarter project, fans are clamoring for a possible HD remaster of the two games that started it all, 1999's Shenmue and 2001's Shenmue 2. In light of the massive fan demand, Sega has released a statement about the possibility of the first two games' HD remaster, and from what could be deduced, it seems like the first two games would be updated pretty soon.

In a recent announcement, Sega's community manager Dan Sheridan stated that the gaming firm is very optimistic about the possibility of releasing HD remastered versions of the first two games in the series.

"Sega would love to do it and are currently investigating how to make it a reality," he said.

However, Sheridan also mentioned that releasing the remastered games is easier said than done, especially since the first two games featured a significant number of licensed products. Plus, the community manager also stated that the firm would need to be careful with the remastered titles, in order to "ensure the quality" of the games that are to be released.

Nevertheless, with Sega already showing support for the project, the time might come when fans of the iconic series would be able to revisit the first two games with the present day's technology.

Shenmue was released for the Sega Dreamcast, the swan song of the once-dominant Japanese console maker. The game quickly garnered a very strong fanbase, thanks to its immersive story and gameplay that took players' gaming experience into completely new territories. Unfortunately, with the decline of Sega's console division and with the Dreamcast ultimately being discontinued, the legacy of Shenmue came to an abrupt end.

Despite its relatively short lifespan, Shenmue became such a classic that fans ended up funding a Kickstarter project for the development of the third game in the series, Shenmue 3. As of writing, the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign stands as one of the most successful video game campaigns of all time, receiving more than $6 million in pledges from fans around the world.

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