Shenmue 3 has set a new Kickstarter record, blowing past its US$2m goal in under 12 hours.

The Kickstarter crossed US$1m in less than two hours and still has a month to go, sitting pretty on US$2.8m as of this publication. Its stretch goals reach to US$4m, but more will likely need to be added as the crowdfunding stacks up.

The announcement of the series' PC and PS4 comeback, under the guidance of series creator Yu Suzuki, caused big waves at Sony's E3 2015 presentation yesterday.

However, it has also been the subject of some controversy, as $2 million is not nearly enough to fund the game's development.

The realistic, sprawling RPG series debuted on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, but was discontinued after two games due to high production costs (the original game, the most expensive at the time, cost US$70m).

Like recent record-setter Bloodstained, Shenmue III's Kickstarter has been used partially as a gauge for fan interest – in this case, by Sony, who will be putting up most of the development funds.

Suffice it to say, there appears to be considerable fan interest out there.