Yu Suzuki says he could return to Virtua Fighter and Out Run

Veteran Sega designer Yu Suzuki has suggested he could be in discussions to return to his classic series Virtua Fighter and Out Run.

Suzuki is currently finishing development on Shenmue III, his first major release for more than a decade, with publisher Deep Silver, and has indicated he would like to revisit his other franchises too.

Suzuki is creating Shenmue III with his company YS Net, but remains a consultant with his former employer Sega.

The Japanese giant has shown an openness to outsourcing IP in the past, not just with Shenmue but also with Bayonetta to Platinum Games.

Asked if he would like to return to Virtua Fighter and Out Run, Suzuki told VGC: “Yes I would like to [return to those]. If you’re going to ask me what, I can’t answer that!”

Pushed on whether that means he might already be in discussions for the IP, he replied: “Yes, there might be something [happening]. But since the IP you mentioned are owned by Sega, I would need to work with them. I am a special consultant with Sega, but we will need to talk.”

Suzuki is best known for founding and heading up Sega AM2, before establishing his own independent studio, Ys Net.

The designer started many Sega franchises including Space Harrier, Out Run, After Burner, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop and Shenmue.

Set for release on PS4 and PC on November 19, Shenmue III is the highest funded video game in Kickstarter history, having raised over $6.3 million from 69,320 backers to help bring the project to life.