Capcom have had an unusual year so far. Sharing financial details from the last three months, the publisher revealed that their biggest games continue to sell below expectations, including Resident Evil 7. However, as they announced back in May, profits continue to increase.
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Resident Evil 7, despite its critical success, is still underperforming. Between January and March, sales amounted to 3.5 million, below the 4 million target Capcom set. This last quarter’s numbers are even poorer – it’s now sitting at 3.7 million. In May, the publisher expressed hopes that the game would have lifetime sales of 10 million, but that’s starting to look like a pipe dream.
Street Fighter V is doing even worse, despite being released in 2016. Capcom have only shifted 1.7 million copies, increasing by a paltry 300,000 from this time last year. And Dead Rising 4 doesn’t even get a mention, presumably because it still hasn’t even sold a million copies.
To make up for this, Capcom are continuing to reduce expenses and operating costs, while also attempting to break into the mobile market.
It’s a shame that something like Resident Evil 7 hasn’t seen the success it deserves. After a couple of dodgy action games, the seventh entry in the series felt like a return to form, despite the vast changes made to the formula. Strong sales would have told Capcom that bold risks pay off, but instead, it’s only “contributed to revenue to a certain extent.”
Talk about damning with faint praise.