Capcom Discusses Resident Evil 7 and the Future of the Franchise

Capcom recently talked about its flagship Resident Evil franchise, discussing the origins of the series, and talking about where it saw it going into the future.

Talking about the continued success of the franchise, Capcom said it had to do with how thoroughly convincing the worlds within the games were.

“The secret lies in its elaborate settings and world. Horror is a common entertainment genre around the world, but Resident Evil adopted the setting of epidemic disaster that could be a reality rather than a wild fantasy in order to make the horror convincing,” Capcom said. “This sense of realism is smoothly incorporated into the story as well as feeding the fear as horror.”

Capcom also credited the compelling characters within the games and the series as a reason for why players still like the games.

“The main characters have made many appearances spanning all the titles and get older and more mature as the series goes on. A character who was a rookie police officer when he debuted is a member of an organization under the direct control of the president in the latest game, and a powerless young girl has matured into a U.S. agent,” Capcom said. “Rather than fading away over the 17 years, they have become even deeper characters. This character appeal has also helped to win firm fans.”

Capcom also credited the production team and development talent, laying special emphasis on the fact that each game is produced by a different team: “The development team and producers in charge of Resident Evil change for every title,” Capcom said. “Therefore, each creator adds their own touch to the strong Resident Evil identity, constantly creating a new Resident Evil just like a relay.”

Of course, as far as ‘continued success’ for Resident Evil goes, the exact meaning is up for interpretation. Resident Evil 6 was a massive critical bomb, being met with dismally low review scores, and then missing Capcom’s internal projections as well.

However, that does not seem to have stopped the giant from looking forward towards the future. Capcom also discussed the future of the series, hinting at a Resident Evil 7.

“In the future, the Resident Evil series will discover new possibilities and progress as a title that can compete globally without disappointing any expectations,” Capcom said.

[Capcom, via Gamespot]