Capcom has announced that it is lowering the sales expectations of its current big-name titles, and blaming their lack of quality on outsourcing. They mentioned an “insufficient coordination between the marketing and game development divisions in overseas markets” as one of several reasons for the disappointing sales figures that they’re receiving for both Resident Evil 6 and DmC: Devil May Cry.
Capcom now expects Resident Evil 6 to sell 4.9 million copies, which is down from 5 million with original sales estimates being 7 million copies. DmC: Devil May Cry is now projected to sell 1.15 million copies, which is down from its original expectation of 2 million copies.
In light of the recent decline in its game sales, Capcom has warned of a “special loss” in its business as part of a 7.2 billion yen (£48 million/$73 million) restructuring. Because of this process, Capcom will “strictly” re-evaluate some currently unannounced games in production.
At the very least, I’m happy that Capcom is admitting that there are problems and is willing to take a big hit to try and fix them. The Resident Evil series has been in a decline for a while now, and the most recent iterations have been huge disappointments. They need to get back to the survival horror roots rather than focusing on action and big explosions. Having a more focused production rather than all this outsourcing I think would definitely help steer the company back in the right direction.
It’s unfortunate about the low sales for DmC: Devil May Cry, as I have played it and think it is a great reboot that still feels very much like Devil May Cry while also introducing many new things to make it fresh. This is what happened with 2005’s Resident Evil 4, but unfortunately that was also the beginning of the end as that success brought a focus on the more action-oriented elements of the game.
Fans know when they are being shortchanged and being given a product that is well below the series’ standards. These games are $60 a pop, and even for a fantastic game that is an expense that not a whole lot of people are thrilled with. Now, given the fact that these current games have been lackluster, most people are waiting for price-drops if they even buy the games at all. Bring back the quality that you have brought before, and you will most certainly bring the fans back.
DO IT, CAPCOM!!!
Condemn O.R. Condone 