Capcom 'will mainly focus on PC software' going forward
Tokyo Game Show 2021's focus on Monster Hunter Rise for PC was part of Capcom's shift to make PC its main platform in the future.
Up to this point, Capcom has mostly put its efforts in its biggest franchises towards releasing on consoles first and then moving their games to PC later. Either that or its games have launched multi-platform, but still prioritized the console experience. Such has been the case with its recent Resident Evil and Monster Hunter entries, but that’s seemingly about to change big time. Capcom has announced that in the future, it intends to make PC its main platform for new releases.
Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto recently spoke to this shift in priority during a conversation with Japanese outlet Nikkei. According to Tsujimoto, the recent Capcom showcase at the Tokyo Game Show 2021 was a sign of things to come. In said showcase, Capcom focused almost entirely on Monster Hunter Rise’s impending arrival on PC. Not only is the game finally coming to PC players, but later in the year, they’ll be able to jump into the Sunbreak expansion right alongside Switch players with a simultaneous launch.
Tsujimoto said the same will be the case with the Resident Evil franchise in the future. In particular, Resident Evil Village has had no lack of issues on PC despite working well elsewhere, as rated in our Shacknews review. Hopefully, that means that as further Resident Evil games come out, PC players won’t get the short end of the stick.
Nonetheless, Capcom reportedly wants to push PC to become half of its overall sales.
“PC is driving global sales,” Tsujimoto said. “We have recently stated that we will make the PC our main platform. At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, we focused on exhibiting the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise, and I think people will be able to experience the change in our approach.”
Tsujimoto went on to say that while mobile is also a trending platform, he doesn’t feel it has the strength and practicality to overcome the continually growing PC market.
“Smartphones are convenient, but their screens are small, and their touch panels are difficult to operate, so they are not suitable for home working or school classes,” he continued. “I think PCs will be the next big thing after smartphones. The PC can also play high-quality games, so the number of PC users should increase as understanding of the PC increases.”
With that in mind, it would seem we can likely expect Capcom to put more focus on PC releases, especially regarding major titles. Stay tuned as we continue to follow along for updates and details on more Capcom games coming to PC platforms.
-
TJ Denzer posted a new article, Capcom's Resident Evil & Monster Hunter franchises will prioritize PC going forward
-
It’s cheaper to develop for PC in the sense you don’t need to comply with the console platforms’ standards or pay the huge fees to go through the submission process.
All the big Japanese indie studios right now are going to lead dev on PC too. It’s more cost effective to get the game out there and then let the platform holders give you offers for then coming to their consoles as well. It’s a smart move that’s worked really well for some European indie devs in the past like Bloober and CD Projekt Red (for 2 off the top of my head).
-