Sega is considering ways to re-release Shenmue 1 & 2

Now that Shenmue 3 has generated consumer interest in the brand again, Sega is looking at re-releasing the older games.

The recent revival of Shenmue 3, through its highly-successful Kickstarter campaign, has convinced Sega the Shenmue brand could generate profit once again.

"Yes, we want to innovate and back smartphones and virtual reality but our key purpose is to go back to what the brand used to stand for," Sega Europe's marketing director Jon Rooke told Marketing Week.

"I think the buzz around Shenmue 3 shows that people love our legacy," he added, confirming to the site that Sega is indeed looking at ways to re-release the dormant franchise.

"Over the next few years, we want to use engaging content and marketing to remind the public why they fell in love with Sega in the first place."

Shenmue 3 is still a ways off, so it's a good thing Sega is looking into a remaster now in order to have something ready around the third instalment's launch, or perhaps before.