So in the spirit of sharing our hopes/wishes/expectations for 2023 in the context of Shenmue, here are some of my thoughts.
Starting with expectations: Call me an optimist, but if I had to speculate I'd say at the very least we're getting a status update on Shenmue IV in 2023. And it will be more than just an empty comment like 'there are no concrete plans at the moment'. No clue if it would have anything to do with 110 Industries as I'm not clairvoyant, but I really don't think all this smoke was just smoke...
As for hopes/wishes of what I would actually like to see?
The announcement of a SEGA backed Shenmue IV & V: specifically a collaboration between YsNet and Studio RGG. The Yakuza series has Shenmue's fingerprints all over it and seeing how RGG has a lot of experience creating similar games for modern systems, I feel they probably understand Shenmue very well and would be the ideal developer to do most of the heavy lifting here.
Before people get up in arms, this doesn't mean I want a Yakuza-template Shenmue game. All the things that make Shenmue what it is would still be in there; the abilities to talk to anybody, enter (more) buildings, pick up and inspect items, the diary, day- and night system, no handholding etc. The works. Also, Yu Suzuki would still have final say in all major decisions concerning the story and feel of the game.
That said, I do think at this point RGG has a pretty good finger on the pulse of what clicks with both domestic and foreign gamers and would be able to expand Shenmue's audience beyond just us hardcore fans, because let's face it; we alone are not enough to carry a franchise of this magnitude.
Also, and this is probably blasphemy to some, but I'm not married to the Virtua Fighter battle system. I think it works well for one on one fights, but tends to feel somewhat clunky when fighting multiple opponents. I also don't think RGG's more arcadey battle systems would be the best fit here. So what am I getting at? Well, I've played Sifu this year - which is fantastic - and I feel an adaptation of its battle system would be a perfect fit for Shenmue going forward.
But at this point I've fully entered the Fantasy Zone in my little winged airship :).
In conclusion, while we alone may not be enough to carry this franchise, I strongly believe that we should contribute where and if we can. This can be supporting community content, being vocal on social media or making other gamers aware of the franchise.
If people had stopped talking about Shenmue, we never would have gotten a revival.