Capcom: we prioritize quality over sales

[midian182]

In brief: For virtually every major company out there, nothing is more important than the bottom line, but Capcom claims it doesn’t share this mentality. The Japanese developer and publisher says it values quality and critical acclaim over financial success when it comes to its games.

Speaking to GameIndustry.biz, Capcom Europe COO Stuart Turner said, "While we have shareholders to appease, it's not just about commercial performance."

"There is an artistic element that always comes in where we know this is the right way. And while if we compare RE7 to RE6 the absolute numbers are not the same, in terms of the profitability... it's completely fine. It ticked all of our boxes internally. It was really well received. And in some respects, getting some very good review scores counts as much for Capcom as a game that sells millions and millions and millions. We'd prefer a game that got a 9 and sold less, than got a 6 but sold more."

Turner’s words might come as a surprise to many. The very poor Resident Evil 6 was panned by most critics yet still managed to sell 7.1 million units. Resident Evil 7, on the other hand, received heaps of praise from reviewers and is much-loved by players, yet it has sold 5.1 million copies to date—2 million fewer than its predecessor.

In the same interview, Turner talked about the upcoming remake of Resident Evil 2—arguably the best game in the long-running franchise. He said the company was nervous in the run-up to the game’s E3 announcement, worrying that the updated tank controls and fixed cameras would alienate fans of the original. But reaction to the upcoming title has been overwhelmingly positive.

While some say Capcom has been playing it safe recently by releasing sequels to its core pillar titles, such as Resident Evil and Street Fighter, Turner said it's not averse to taking risks. He cites the shift from a third-person to a first-person view in Resi 7 as a potentially catastrophic move that paid off. He also said a new IP might come about in the form of an affordable digital-only title.

“Maybe we could release a few of these and see if one takes off, and then you can take it further step-by-step, as opposed to doing a AAA with a £10 million marketing budget. That's never going to happen."

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https://www.techspot.com/news/75871-capcom-prioritize-quality-over-sales.html

 

[m4a4]

I mean, quality over money sounds great, but I would be surprised if they legitimately meant it. Sounds more like a reassurance.

Which there's nothing wrong with publicly saying it. I just know they need to please their shareholders first.

 

[Footlong]

For Resident Evil in specific, there is a thing called brand fatigue. RE 6 was a mediocre game at best, sometimes a terrible one. Of course, gamers would be skeptical of the next one RE 7. Also, RE has a huge identity crisis as it tries to be an action game and a horror one.

 

[Jamlad]

For Resident Evil in specific, there is a thing called brand fatigue.

Holy christ. How many REs are there now? How many remakes on top of that?

Sure, Capcom. Quality is your goal, not gold.

 

[Digitalzone]

Remakes are easy money. Especially when you have something to offer. And it also shows that games industry somehow lost creativity. I havent played any RE, but I would be thinking about it if they would made remaster of older titles and sell in a pack. But I guess it will cost 30 bucks per item. Not so big deal in my eyes.

 

[captaincranky]

It's like deja vu all over again..

 

[Nocturne]

Arn't these the same guys that ignore their own franchises if they aren't Street fighter or Resident evil.

If quality was so important then why in Resident Evil did you decide to prioritize action gameplay over horror elements, you can claim that is design choice but to me it's a quality choice as in find better game directors that prioritize the quality of the series.

Dmc was a great example farming a game to Ninja theory that was godaweful.