Following the record-breaking success of Resident Evil HD, which sold gangbusters on the PlayStation Network back in January, publisher Capcom has confirmed that revisiting older properties in the form of remasters is a “key business activity” for the company, and we can expect plenty more blasts from the past in the near future.
During a recent financial briefing, the Japanese giant outlined this new strategy through a Q&A, and how the sales for the aforementioned Resident Evil greatly exceeded expectations.
“HD remasters of our catalogue hit titles will be one of our key business activities … [digital sales] created new demand for these titles. For example, overseas download sales of “Resident Evil” (HD Remastered) in the past fiscal year were far higher than we expected. It is not a risk but rather the growth of the download sales channel gives users more options. We regard this as growth in opportunities to have allow access for more people to enjoy our games.”
While the company didn’t specify which titles from its prestigious vault may get revamped, it’s almost a given that other installments in Capcom’s flagship Resident Evil series will get a similar treatment, particularly RE2. The publisher has been vocal in the past about balancing nostalgia with modernity as it moves forward, and it’ll be interesting to see how fans take to this new announcement.
After all, HD re-releases have almost reached the point of caricature, and though the likes of Resident Evil arguably warrant a remake because of how much time has lapsed since their original launch, when Definitive Editions of DmC and Tomb Raider hit the market so soon after their last-gen originals, it begs the question if the trend will soon collapse in on itself as consumers tire of double dipping.
Whatever the case, Capcom doesn’t seem put off by the underlying risks, and you can readily expect to see plenty more of the company’s back catalog appear on consoles sooner rather than later.