There may be trouble ahead for you if you're a Shenmue III PC backer and you were hoping for a Steam key. A recent post on the game's Kickstarter campaign suggests that Shenmue III Steam keys may never materialize.

In the post, developer Ys Net discusses a revision concerning the PC version of Shenmue III. Ys Net says "negotiations with Valve are ongoing" and that it can't make a firm commitment as to whether Steam keys will be available for the game. During E3 this year, it was announced that Shenmue III would be a timed Epic Games Store exclusive. At that time, Ys Net said that Steam keys would become available one year later. Now it seems like that may never happen. The studio says "there is the possibility" that negotiations with Valve will fall through. If this happens, Ys Net won't distribute Steam keys to backers. That's regardless of whether they picked that option or not when backing the game.

If you do change your mind and no longer want a PC version of the game, you can apply for a refund. Ys Net says it will "proceed with refund request processing promptly", but asks backers to be patient. The studio says processing times may vary depending on individual transaction circumstances. You'll get a refund through PayPal - no other option seems to be available - so you'll need a PayPal account to receive your refund. You've got until October 3rd to make your mind up. Also, if you backed one of the tiers with an in-game reward attached, Ys Net may remove that reward if you ask for a refund.

The Shenmue III Kickstarter post also discusses PlayStation 4 region selection. When backing Shenmue III on PS4, you'll have filled out a survey regarding your region. If you'd like to change your region, you can choose from four different areas: US, EU, Japan, and Asia. Picking a region that isn't your home region might incur a shipping delay.

Shenmue III is due to launch for PC via Epic Games Store on November 19th. The game is also coming to PlayStation 4. Naturally, Ys Net's ongoing negotiations with Valve won't affect the PS4 version.