Capcom has been a household name in video games for decades, and like many developers, it has had its ups and downs. The Japanese company has been riding high for the past few years, but it wasn’t too long ago that it suffered its worst rough patch in quite some time. In the late 2000s and early to mid 2010s, the once-beloved gaming giant was releasing a steady stream of games with major problems. Some games lacked content and seemed unfinished, such as street fighter v. Some games included atrocious downloadable content, like street fighter x tekken. And worst of all, examples like resident Evil 6 it showed that Capcom was designing its games in ways that went against everything that made those franchises special to begin with.
Through it all though, Capcom has made a monumental comeback. A run of critically acclaimed games in recent years has shown that Capcom has learned from its mistakes and is confidently moving forward on a path we can’t wait to see unfold.
Bad luck
Disappointment after disappointment across a variety of major franchises set the stage for one of the weakest periods Capcom had ever seen. This was the company that developed games like demonic resident, street fighter iiY Devil can cry, which essentially pioneered the Survival Horror, Fighting, and Hack-and-slash genres respectively. However, all three franchises would suffer during this time. Devils Might Cry 4 it was well received, but its second half felt rushed. And instead of working on a sequel, Capcom handed the reins over to the talented Ninja Theory team. Weather DmC: The devil may cry served as a solid reboot, his new address was too off-putting for the traditional Devil can cry players and never received a sequel to capitalize on its new ideas.
demonic resident was once the pinnacle of the survival horror genre, but with each new release, the series headed in a more action-packed direction. This culminated in the antics of Michael Bay from resident Evil 6, which is widely considered the worst-numbered entry in the franchise, as it abandoned any semblance of being a survival horror. To make matters worse, spin-offs like Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City They were repetitive and with errors. If Capcom couldn’t figure out what he did demonic resident work, then it was really out of place.
Street Fighter it wasn’t safe either. Despite being a fundamental pillar for Capcom, street fighter v released as a barebones package with a serious lack of content. Players also criticized his character redesigns and poor online network code. Elsewhere, street fighter x tekken was criticized for including on-disc DLC, and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite it was released with a limited roster, poor story, and disappointing visual presentation. The icing on the cake during this time is that Capcom also engaged in nasty microtransaction practices and continued to re-release games soon after their initial release.
In all, Capcom felt that it was chasing all the wrong trends to increase profits and gain a wider audience at the expense of alienating its loyal fans. He was failing on all fronts, which makes it all the more impressive that he has since managed to right the ship.
don’t call it back
Fans are now more optimistic than ever about Capcom, and that’s because the company has rebuilt its reputation with a steady stream of great titles across nearly every franchise. It started with the revival of demonic resident in 2017. The ‘cooking demo’ was really scary and more in line with modern takes on the horror genre. That’s probably why no one expected that it would eventually be Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The perfectly matched classic game. demonic resident game design with modern horror ideas, resulting in a focused love letter to fans and a true return to the roots of the series. It was proof that Capcom still knew what makes the series special.
The masterful remake of resident evil 2 in 2019 and the good reception Resident Evil 3 redo and Resident Evil Village further cemented the true return of gaming’s most iconic survival horror franchise. Like a staggering zombie, Capcom clawed its way back to the top, and demonic resident it was just the beginning. monster hunter worldThe series’ astronomical sales and reception brought the series a bit of a niche into the spotlight like never before. It was a modern and easily attractive version of Monster hunter with exciting innovations and excellent multiplayer options. The rise of the monster hunter it also found similar success, with enough new mechanics to freshen things up for veteran players.
If Capcom would only release RE2 in 2019, that would have been enough. But within a few months of RE2 came the devil may cry 5. Veteran Capcom director Hideaki Itsuno helmed one of the best entries in the series to date thanks to a mix of familiar gameplay and V, a character with an entirely new playstyle. Another Capcom veteran, Koji Oda, directed mega man 11which was also a return to form.
A common thread between these success stories is that Capcom is going back to the roots of what makes each franchise tick, while also fleshing out the formulas in small but significant ways. RE2The shooting mechanic feels like a natural evolution of Resident Evil 4, monster hunter world It was more accessible and CMD 5 used a new character to experiment with a new combat style. It also certainly helps that nearly every Capcom title in recent years has been powered by its always-impressive Reach for the Moon (RE) engine.
Everything feels possible now
Capcom has regained its goodwill, found its groove, and seems ready to get on with its hot steak. The company’s new confidence is evident in the various types of games it is releasing. street fighter v he eventually improved into a solid fighter thanks to years of support. Fighting game fans are now eagerly awaiting the release of street fighter 6which seems to be a great evolution of the Street Fighter formula and looks awesome on the go too. Besides that, RE players (who have already been eating well) can wait Resident Evil Village Gold Edition Y Resident Evil 4 redo in the near future.
Capcom is improving on its legacy franchises, but it’s also moving forward with new ideas. original IP as exoprimal Y Pragmatics they are on the horizon. While we don’t know how they’ll work out yet, new IPs are essential to driving the gaming industry forward, and it’s heartwarming to see Capcom showcasing its creative muscle once again.
We’ve talked about Capcom’s family franchises and new ideas, but what about their legacy titles? Capcom has recently been digging into its war chest to release packs like the Capcom Fighting Collection. street fighter v players may also recall the addition of Akira Kazama from Rival Schools: United by Fate as a DLC character. given how darkstalkers is very present in Capcom Fighting Collection and Akira was an unexpected addition to SFV, Capcom could be testing the waters for some revivals? We are crossing all fingers for that.
There have been several problems around the Marvel vs. Capcom series, but Capcom has a friendly relationship with rival developer SNK. So could a SNK vs Capcom be back in the cards? It’s certainly a big dream, but Capcom feels like a company willing to take these risks now, especially since the announcement of Dragon’s Dogma 2. Maybe dinosaur crisis fans will eventually see their dreams of a new entry or remake come true, eventually.
Capcom had sunk into a dark place, but the famed Japanese game developer has made one of the most impressive comebacks we’ve ever seen, and we can’t wait to see where this momentum takes it next.
