Steadily approaching its one-year anniversary it may be, but Capcom’s critically acclaimed Resident Evil 2 continues to grab headlines and for all the right reasons.
The reimagined survival horror, which was recently awarded a Game of the Year gong (with more likely on the way), has singlehandedly thrust the iconic series back into the limelight to retake its crown as the king of survival horror. That being the case, then, it hardly comes as a surprise that Leon and Claire’s meticulously crafted return to Raccoon City has translated to an impressive number of sales.
In fact, thanks to a press release provided yesterday by the Japanese studio, total sales of the remake have officially reached the 5 million mark. A massive achievement in its own right, no doubt, but one that’s of particular significance when compared with the 1998 original, which stands at total lifetime sales of 4.96 million. A small, relatively speaking, margin of difference, of course, but it’s worth bearing in mind that this year’s recreation is still less than 12 months old, so one can expect that gap to widen even further.
“The Resident Evil series has garnered high praise from both fans and the media internationally,” reads the statement, adding: “with Resident Evil 2, a remake released in January of this year, achieving more than 5 million units in sales.”
Terrific news for Capcom and fans alike, then, and both camps will no doubt be hoping to see Resident Evil 3‘s long-awaited remake continue that streak of success. Officially revealed yesterday during Sony’s State of Play presentation following a number of leaks, Jill Valentine’s own tale of survival against the undead horde and Umbrella’s terrifying Nemesis is due to arrive next year, April 3rd, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
Can Capcom achieve the seemingly impossible and deliver an experience even greater than Resident Evil 2? Too soon to tell, but the early signs are promising, to say the least. The hype train is full steam ahead.