Capcom’s strategy of remaking classic Resident Evil titles is generating the financial resources needed to develop new games and IP, according to producer Masachika Kawata.
Kawata told Game Informer that, in addition to these economic benefits, this approach allows the team to “hone their craft.”
“One of the reasons for creating remakes is producing a new entry in the Resident Evil series every year would be quite an undertaking and a difficult task,” he explained.
“Being able to revisit older games and remake them helps Capcom meet that goal of releasing a Resident Evil title each year, but it also allows the team to continually challenge themselves and hone their craft.
Kawata continued: “That’s not to say the remakes are any less important. In fact, they’re just as important as the mainline titles.
“Capcom is lucky enough to have found this cycle that can continue to provide us with the financial resources to create things like new entries in the Resident Evil series and completely new IP like Pragmata. So there is that relationship there.”
In its latest financial report, Capcom credited the ongoing success of Resident Evil Requiem as a key driver of overall revenue and “ongoing sales growth” for previous franchise titles.
Over the past decade, Capcom has released three Resident Evil remakes, most recently Resident Evil 4 in 2023. The next remake, Resident Evil Veronica, is scheduled for release next year.
Analyst data also indicates that anticipation for new entries in the Resident Evil franchise like Requiem and Veronica increases sales and player engagement with earlier games.
“Maybe there are a lot of people out there who would like to see more spinoff titles or such,” Katawa added.
“But honestly, the team is giving everything it has right now, working on things like our new entries like Requiem or remakes. At the moment, that’s where our efforts [are] being focused. We are so focused on pouring our energy into that, I don’t think there’s a whole lot left right now for a spinoff.”