Shenmue developer Ys Net has threatened legal motion over a widely-circulated video designed to seem like leaked footage of Shenmue 4.
The footage popped up on social media last week and was promptly shared by quite a few web sites, at the same time as questions regarding the video’s origins and authenticity swirled.
Now, Ys Net has released a statement to substantiate that the footage “has absolutely no connection” to itself and uses the corporate’s logo without permission. Moreover, Ys Net claimed that such acts “may amount to trademark infringement and unfair competition” and due to this fact it was now preparing “appropriate measures” and exploring legal options.
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A trailer for Shenmue IV appears to have been leaked from Sega. It will not be yet verified by Sega but it surely appears to be real. pic.twitter.com/GMOlFFgCuw
— SuperSisi (@SuperSisi) December 5, 2025
While some fans took the lengthy “Shenmue 4” clip as too elaborate to be fake, others pointed to a handful of wonky animation effects and its fan-baiting story to suggest it was an elaborate creation made by a fan using generative AI.
Just last month, IGN reported on the increasingly convincing AI-generated GTA 6 “leaks” which might be racking up hundreds of thousands of views on social media, as many users simply take what they see at face value.
While generative AI and deepfake technology are nothing recent, the past few months have seen a fresh generation of tools corresponding to Sora 2 and Google’s Nano Banana Pro pump out generated content that is now increasingly difficult to differentiate from the actual thing. Last week’s Shenmue 4 video is, seemingly, yet one more example of this.
“Ys Net Inc. has confirmed that a video has been posted on social media which uses our company logo without permission, falsely giving the impression that it’s an an official ‘Shenmue 4’ related video produced by us,” the corporate wrote. “This video has absolutely no connection to Ys Net. Moreover, at the moment, Ys Net has not released any trailers, footage or other promotional materials related to ‘Shenmue 4.’
“We recognize that the unauthorized use of our logo, and any act that misleads viewers into believing such content is official, constitutes a serious issues which will amount to trademark infringement and unfair competition. W are currently working with relevant parties and preparing appropriate measures, including potential legal motion.
“We sincerely apologize to our fans and all related parties for any confusion this will likely have caused. We’ll proceed to make sure the correct and accurate dissemination of knowledge, and we ask in your understanding and cooperation.”
As of now, it’s unknown if a fourth major Shenmue game will ever get made, though the franchise’s hardcore fanbase definitely hope it will definitely happens. Last yr, a bunch of fans paid to briefly rent a billboard in Recent York’s Times Square to spotlight their hopes for a Shenmue 4. Alas, it’s unknown if the stunt had much impact.
Currently, Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki is working on an enhanced version of Shenmue 3, which wll see the 2019 motion adventure release on recent platforms with recent features and enhanced visuals. Suzuki told IGN in 2023 that he desires to create a fourth game eventually but, following the poor critical reception of the third game, would look to make it more accessible to recent fans.
“Rejoining Ryo Hazuki’s quest to avenge his father is exciting, but Shenmue 3 appears like a game that has ignored the innovation and progress of the last 20 years of video game development,” IGN wrote in our Shenmue 3 review, scoring the sport 5/10.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You may reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social