More than most, Capcom’s Dead Rising series has had a tumultuous past. What began as a humble new IP all the way back in 2006 exploded to become one of the Japanese studio’s core franchise’s in the years that followed. A sequel to Frank West’s zombie-infested mall run arrived in 2010 to satiate the thirst for mass slaughter of the undead, only this time with a few twists. For starters, unlikely hero West was replaced with new protagonist Chuck Greene and Capcom Vancouver (then Blue Castle Games) was chosen to spearhead development.
From that point on, Vancouver steered the ship over a wave of success, eventually garnering the interest of Microsoft. As a result, Dead Rising 3 became a launch exclusive for Xbox One, a streak that continued – and ultimately ended – with the fourth and final installment. In lieu of middling reviews and unsatisfactory sales, Vancouver was forced to close its doors and Dead Rising, without its guardian, was put on ice for the indefinite future.
The general consensus since then has been that Capcom quietly closed that chapter in its history, but that apparently couldn’t be further from the truth.
As per a recent dissection of the company’s financials, Dead Rising is still very much considered to be a major pillar of its back catalogue, even being mentioned alongside the likes of Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Monster Hunter and Devil May Cry. All of these are affectionally dubbed “superior, proprietary content” in the earnings call, with total sales figures across all games standing at 13 million units. That figure’s a drop in the ocean when compared with some of the aforementioned big names, of course, but it’s certainly enough for Frank, Chuck, Nick and co. to get some well-deserved recognition.
What does this all mean, you might ask? Potentially nothing, but it’s the biggest sign since 2016 that Capcom hasn’t left Dead Rising to rot on the pile of other discarded, long forgotten IPs. At least not yet.
Do you think a sequel is deserved though, or is the existing tetralogy more than enough? Let us know in the usual place below.