Creating physical media for a game port that never happened — But, why?
A year ago I had this weird idea:
“What if Shenmue, the SEGA Dreamcast iconic game which I love, had received a Windows 98 release in an alternate gaming timeline?”.
This thought came from the fact that as a kid I did not have a Dreamcast....but, I had a computer! So, I always searched port-related rumors in magazines to keep my ilusion alive.
Well, now it’s real, sort of.
I spent the last 6 months actually finishing it as a physical artifact with my own artistic twist.
Not a game, no software included — just a full reimagined object of a release that never existed. I illustrated and designed the box, manuals, inserts, and even the CDs > inspired by Studio Ghibli aesthetics, 90s tech media, and my art style.
I only made 10 copies — never to be printed again — because every piece and box insert is crafted, assembled, hand-numbered, signed and sealed by me; and boy does it take time.
It is rewarding though, as there are many easter eggs in the content I know game collectors and Shenmue fans will appreciate.
The cover art alone is about 80-90 hours of work, and 55000 strokes. I recommend that if you have a simillar project, you spend your time there. Making a generic custom box… Well, anyone can do that today with AI.
This project was, and still is, a quite resource and time consuming. Hopefully, there are 10 passionated enthusiasts out there willing to the pay the high-end prices required to keep this alternative-gaming-timeline alive, and to materialized these 10 Shemue collectible boxes.
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Ultimately, it's an ultra-limited fanart artifact / obsession, my biggest tribute to the original IP. When the boxes are gone, there are gone forever.
- Do you get why it exist?
- Does it feel like a cool reinterpretation, or just ’Meh’?
For more more photos, details and launch information —> go to cambureditions.com