Shenmue mastermind and veteran game creator Yu Suzuki has left Sega, the Japanese publisher let slip this week.

Gamasutra.com today report that the designer is hard at work on projects in China, which is going through an online gaming boom at present. "Last I heard, he was doing some online stuff in China," of America boss Simon Jeffery commented, when asked about Suzuki.

"He's kind of his own man right now," the President added. "Every now and again, he'll come up with an idea, and I don't think anything has come out of that yet, but we're still working with him."

While Suzuki isn't an employee of Sega, a third title looks unlikely; that said, other older games may be revived in the future, promises Jeffery. "We're looking at arcade, and we're looking at Game Gear. The interest in digital delivery media and the has really caused us to look back to the past and the great golden days of SEGA gaming in all formats, not just the Genesis. So absolutely we're looking back there."

By Luke Guttridge