Unlike many publishers, Capcom does not chase profitable release dates and relies on a large tail of sales and its back catalog. The company explained the advantages of this approach, and also talked about the importance of remakes, the almost complete transition to digital and the launch of new IP.
A large interview with Capcom was published on Gamesindustry.biz . Below are the key points from the material.
Own view on release dates
For many years, Capcom has preferred to release games in the first half of the year, while most major publishers choose the autumn and winter months. There are reasons for this strategy.
The CEO of the European direction of the company Kiichiro Urata notes that the release of projects in a more “quiet” period allows Capcom fans not to miss the company’s novelties. It also deprives players of the need to choose between several new major titles at once.
The release of games in the first half of the year also helps the publisher to make more effective use of the Christmas season, in which it is customary to make favorable offers and discounts.
In addition, the company is confident that the choice of the release window no longer plays such an important role as before. More important is the quality of the game and its support for new content after release.
“We know that quality games have been sold for years. We still see Resident Evil 7 selling 1 million copies annually, even almost four years after its release,” explains Stuart Turner, Chief Operating Officer of the company’s European office.
Upcoming releases and focus on numbers
Capcom’s first major release in 2021 will be Monster Hunter: Rise, which will be released on March 26 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Traditionally popular in Japan, the series attracted the interest of Western players after Monster Hunter: World, and now the publisher plans to repeat the success.
On May 7, Resident Evil: Village will be released, which will be released on both the new and the previous generation of consoles. Capcom did not make the game just for the “next generation” to give users the opportunity to choose a platform convenient for them. According to Turner, the company’s titles are sold within 5-10 years after release, and therefore it makes no sense to try to capture exclusively the audience of new consoles now.
The Village release is partially timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the series. But the celebration will not cost them alone. In honor of the anniversary, the company has planned many projects and events, including the animated series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness for Netflix. This should help the publisher expand the audience of their franchises.
The main priority for Capcom remains the convenience of users who have been actively moving to digital in recent years. The company continues to develop this direction, and the data obtained from digital sales allows the publisher to promote games taking into account regional peculiarities.
In January, Capcom reported record revenue — the company earned over $600 million in three fiscal quarters. At the same time, 80% of sales were accounted for by the “figure”. Now the company sets ambitious goals for itself and wants to bring this figure to 90%.
Remakes and back catalog vs new IP
Capcom has not launched a new IP since 2012, when Dragon’s Dogma was released. All this time, she focused on the development of existing franchises. Now there are about 300 titles in the publisher’s back catalog.
But this does not mean that the company has abandoned plans to launch new franchises. Capcom understands the importance of developing young brands. And now work in this direction is being actively carried out within its walls. The first new IP in many years will be the fantastic action game Pragmata. Its release is scheduled for 2023.
Work on the new IP would not have been possible without the success of remakes and sequels to games from the back catalog,” Capcom says.