The Resident Evil franchise is such a massive IP that Capcom has seen the series go from a video game series to a blockbuster movie franchise. Over its years of being available in the video game industry, we’ve seen Capcom bring out quite a few installments. In fact, the installments ranged so far back that there has been some incentive to bring out remakes from the earlier releases. With Resident Evil being such a success as a remake, Capcom finally graced fans with a sequel remake on current-generation platforms.
That Resident Evil 2 remake was also such a big hit that Capcom simply opted to continue on with the remake trend. Using the RE Engine from Resident Evil 7, these remakes were not only highly detailed but delivered some fresh new mechanics that allowed the game to feel a bit more like a modern-day third-person survival horror title. Resident Evil 3 received the remake edition next from Capcom and it was quite anticipated as well when it finally came into the marketplace. However, the reception has been a bit poor compared to the Resident Evil 2 remake. Likewise, the number of sales didn’t reach anywhere close to the number of sales Resident Evil 2 was able to bring in.
There are a few potential reasons for the case of fewer sales. For starters, Resident Evil 3 came out into the market around the time of a big sweep of the coronavirus. Fewer people might have decided to stay back from purchasing the game for that reason. Another aspect that Capcom recently brought up during an investor call, the original release of Resident Evil 3 didn’t surpass the sales of Resident Evil 2 as well. This could be a case of the game not being as long as its predecessor.
In fact, the remake even made some cuts, so the length of the game is by far shorter than Resident Evil 2. There’s a more linear approach to the game and as a result, fans are not spending too much time going back and forth around any given area. Right now it looks like the next main game that Capcom will be bringing out from the franchise is Resident Evil Village which is set to release in 2021 for the next-generation platforms. Of course, with that said, there may be some incentive to go back and remake Resident Evil 4, a game installment that did well when it first released. Perhaps this installment will also do just as well and surpass not only the sales figures for Resident Evil 3 but also Resident Evil 2.
