How the Resident Evil Community Forced Capcom Developers to Reassess the Franchise
In just a couple days, Capcom will be releasing the next installment of ever popular horror franchise – Resident Evil: Biohazard. A first-person, survival horror game about Ethan Winters’ attempt to find out more about the mysterious death of his wife. It will be chock-full of jump scares, real-time strategy, puzzles, and a constant sense of impending doom. At least, that’s what Resident Evil is known for, and exactly what Capcom has hoped to achieve with Biohazard’s launch. However, since Resident Evil 4, the company shifted toward more action horror, rather than a survival horror.
In a documentary produced by GameSpot, developers address fan complaints and feedback since the release of RE6 in 2012. “After our sixth Resident Evil, we got a lot of feedback from fans,” said Executive Producer Jun Takeuchi. “I think a lot of [people] loved the game. Of course at the same time, we know there’s feedback that people thought we’re going too far down the road of action horror rather than survival horror.”
Takeuchi continued on – not only was the project an effort to gain a better understanding from the fans for the fans, but it was an opportunity for Capcom to reassess themselves. “That was great timing because, internally, we also felt, this is the time for us to just take a step back and re-evaluate what survival horror means to us and what Resident Evil means to us,” he said. Even so, trying to trace back their origins didn’t mean sacrificing any or all progress the they’ve made thus far. Director Koshi Nakanishi resonated with Takeuchi, recognizing that it was time to take a step back. Ten years after the 4th installment, it was as good a time as any.
“For us, the idea of going back to our roots wasn’t synonymous with just turning back the clock on game play systems or choices of camera systems. The most natural evolution in my mind was ‘how do I get [players] to feel this direct sense of fear and atmosphere of the fact that this character is very much in danger?'” Takeuchi stated. In other words, how can the franchise become even more immersive and horrifying – while giving players the ability to survive?
Knowing this, do you have different expectation for the upcoming Resident Evil Biohazard? Do you believe Capcom will live up to the community’s criticism? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below, we would love to hear from you!
Hoi Duong2106 Posts
Hoi is an elusive figure at DFTG, whose favorite past-times include chillin' in the Fade, reading manga, watching anime, collecting novelty items, and gaming.
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