Capcom aims high with Dead Rising 2

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 2 September, 2010

Wants it to replace Resi as biggest series.

Japanese game company Capcom hopes Dead Rising will replace the iconic Resident Evil series as its number one franchise.

It's setting the bar high for sequel Dead Rising 2, due out on PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360 later this month.

"The goal for Dead Rising 2 is to replace the Resident Evil franchise and become number one IP within Capcom," Capcom's head of global research and development Keiji Inafune told Eurogamer this morning.

Dead Rising 2 is the follow-up to Xbox 360 exclusive Dead Rising, which shipped over one million copies worldwide as of 31st December 2006. It was also a damn fine game: Eurogamer gave it an 8/10.

Topping Resident Evil, however, will be no mean feat. Capcom's sold 44 million Resident Evil games, spread across 63 titles, over the years.

The last game in the zombie shoot-em-up series, Resident Evil 5, sold nearly five million units.

Inafune, though, is bullish. "As a creator, the sales and marketing part aside, unless you have a big goal to strive for you can't create a good game," he said.

And Dead Rising looks set to continue beyond the release of Dead Rising 2. Inafune revealed that Capcom will consider creating Dead Rising 3 if Dead Rising 2 sells well.

"Until Dead Rising 2 sells we probably can't start talking about spin-offs," Inafune said.

"If it's received pretty well, yes we would consider a sequel. But at the moment we just don't know."

Check out our Dead Rising 2 hands-on preview to see what all the fuss is about.

A video showcasing the first 15 minutes of downloadable prequel Case Zero, out now on Xbox 360, is below.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (39) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • Dolly #1 2 years ago

    I freaking love zombie movies and Resi games, but the save system just killed the first game for me :(

    This looks awesome, but I don't know if the save issue is still too much of a stumbling block.
    Edited by Dolly at 02/09/10 @ 13:16

  • dudefella #2 2 years ago

    I love Dead Rising, but it's far too much of a marmite game (even more so than RE) to become their tentpole franchise. I like the diversity we're seeing from Capcom though, I think they're smart about making games to appeal to East and West alike. Though Lost Planet 2 was a bit of a stinker.

  • Skooch #3 2 years ago

    Dead Rising had a horrible save system, a horrible control system and was rock hard....but one of my favourite games still! Hopefully DR2 will solve those problems and it really could be a killer game. Resi is a big franchise to knock off top spot though, but I suppose it depends on what resources Capcom put towards it in terms of marketing and promotion.

  • Climhazzard #4 2 years ago

    Dead Rising replace Resident Evil? They're taking the piss right?

  • BabyJesus #5 2 years ago

    Well RE5 was shit, judging from case zero DR2 will be ten times better but I really doubt it will sell better.

  • Bernkastel #6 2 years ago

    I missed the punchline.

  • Feanor #7 2 years ago

    Inafune must have started drinking at 5am on the day he came up with that quote.

  • ParanoidZombie #8 2 years ago

    After playing case zero, I realized I'm more of a Frank West fan than a zombie-slaying enthusiast. DR1 has a lot of character / personality, making lots of sequels would kill what I like about the IP.

  • 32768Colours #9 2 years ago

    I would've thought Street Fighter was their biggest franchise. Its certainly one of the only franchises they've got spot on of late. I did buy DR2 Case Zero last night though, and thought it was a lot of fun; particularly for the price. I'm just not sure I'd pay full price for more of the same with DR2, but only because I'm not sure what more they could do with the gameplay at this stage.

  • andywilkie35 #10 2 years ago

    I'm very excited about Dead Rising 2. Case Zero is excellent, as was the first game. I hope it sells well.

  • Feanor #11 2 years ago

    "I would've thought Street Fighter was their biggest franchise."

    SF4 sold well, but not nearly as well as RE 5.

  • iamian #12 2 years ago

    44 million over 63 titles?! When you consider that Resi 5 had 5 million sales then that leaves some pretty poor performers in 39m/62...
    Must admit, when I think of Capcom, it's Street Fighter all the way too!

  • wizlon #13 2 years ago

    I thought Dead Space was replacing Resident Evil?

  • Haloboy #14 2 years ago

    Resident Delusion.

  • NewbieZilla #15 2 years ago

    BabyJesus
    "Well RE5 was shit"

    Agreed, but I don't think DR2 will be 10 times better. I really wonder if RE6 can redeem the shitefest that was 5.

  • muscleblade #16 2 years ago

    Dead Rising was great with a fantastic save system. RE5 was amazing. I still have my doubts about Dead Rising 2.
    Edited by muscleblade at 02/09/10 @ 13:58

  • TheTingler #17 2 years ago

    Wait, what? Shouldn't they be aiming to replace someone else's game as the best, instead of their own? Bioware did this with Mass Effect 2, saying "it's their best ever game!" a month after they released Dragon Age. Don't belittle your own major titles, do that to another publishers.

  • IronGiant #18 2 years ago

    No chance, not bothered about this game really.. First one was fun for a while but give me a quality res evil game anyway over this!

  • bad09 #19 2 years ago

    Seeing the steady decline of RE as a series I can see this actually happening. If they go back to it's roots for RE6 though there is no chance of DR being bigger!

  • Tomo #20 2 years ago

    Aye, this is crackers news.

  • AaronBoone #21 2 years ago

    Once again so much hatred for RE5. Was it truly that awful? Definitely nothing on RE4, but always shocked at the amount of hating it gets. I enjoyed it well enough, co-op was well integrated if had human playing player 2, graphics were amazing, and yeah less puzzles/more action, and not anything like the tension and immersion of RE4 but overall it was entertaining for sure.
    DR2 I'm not so sure about. From gameplay I've seen it looks a little floaty, doesn't seem to be any feeling of impact when mowing/slicing/beating on the dead. Unlike say Chris Redfern's roundhouse :)

  • kinky_mong #22 2 years ago

    Nice idea. Does that mean we have to wait until Dead Rising 4 for them to see sense and fix all the archaic problems with the game to finally make the highlight of the series?

  • Nighthawk_08 #23 2 years ago

    Surely that's wrong..........63 titles???????

  • Silent-Hal #24 2 years ago

    Good idea, let's replace one highly flawed series with another highly flawed series! Whatever, I never liked Dead Rising or Lost Planet and Resident Evil and Devil May Cry have been run into the ground this gen with a duo of truly abominable sequels. And since I could never get into fighting games it seems like Capcom now have nothing to offer me, unless RE6 eventually comes out and blows us all away. Which won't happen, of course.

    Edit: Actually, that's not entirely true, I suppose. At least the Ace Attorney games are still good.
    Edited by Silent-Hal at 02/09/10 @ 14:43

  • FooAtari #25 2 years ago

    Maybe Resi has simply run it's course and Capcom want to move on. Many other devs/publishers could learn from this.

  • Silent-Hal #26 2 years ago

    Resi may have run it's course, but I don't think Dead Rising would be a better substitute. The problem is that every single one of Capcom's big action games this gen has had some massive flaw that has prevented it from being great. Their problem is that they're trying so hard to implement new features and gameply mechanics without considering whether they will have a negative impact on the rest of the game, which, this gen at least, has been the case almost universally. The last truly great Capcom action game was IMO, Resident Evil 4. What they really need to do is step back and take a look at what made that game so successful before pushing forward.

  • Jamiesan #27 2 years ago

    I didn't hate RE5, it's a great game. However, I expected a certain amount of survival horror and not just shootan. They even put on the adverts, "Fear you can't forget". Well I certainly didn't forget it, because there was nothing scary in the whole damn game, except Sheva's AI!
    Chris could probably rip a T-Rex in half with those arms, and there's more ammo in the game than featured in all of Bruce Willis's movies put together. Where's the tension of going into a room, a giant snake appears and you have no idea if you have enough ammo to kill this thing?

    tl;dr, DR2 will probably be better than recent RE, but I dunno if it will sell more

  • Acrid #28 2 years ago

    Can I have Dead Rising on PS3 please? C'mon you put (a shit version of) it on Wii already

  • Derblington #29 2 years ago

    If they want DR to replace RE then surely sequels are a guarantee? Otherwise they're just hoping it will be bigger, which is a completely different thing.

  • Cannibal #30 2 years ago

    Unfortunately to make it a blockbuster with the mainstream they'd have to strip the game of what makes it unique. The save system and deadlines would have to go and it would probably have to be more of a zombie sandbox like a GTA or something. I like it as it is, but I know it won't sell 5 million.

  • Bulbatron #31 2 years ago

    Perhaps this was lost in translation? I dunno'.

    Can't decide how I feel about this. I didn't hate Resident Evil 5 and it's enormous fun in co-op, but it was but a pale shadow compared to the previous titles. If Capcom really want to push the Dead Rising series in our faces, then I think we can say goodbye to any hope of zombies returning to the Resident Evil series.

    However, what it may mean, is that Capcom will use Dead Rising as their action-horror series and return to the suspense of older Resident Evil titles. Didn't somebody important at Capcom say, a while ago, something about Resident Evil 6 being something of a reboot?

  • Mr_Brown #32 2 years ago

    I think they are running out of ideas with Resident Evil and its traditions, back story and fan expectations are limiting what they can do with the series (I though Resi 5 was by far the worst in the series). Dead Rising has a hell of a lot of potential for Core gamers, I really hope it succeeds . Though I wouldn't want it to replace Resident Evil, I really wouldn't mind.

  • steninja #33 2 years ago

    I think creatively, Dead Rising already succeeded Resident Evil and took the survival horror mantle.

    The fundamental gameplay mechanic of Dead Rising succinctly embodies exactly the very definition of surviving in horrifying situations. Resident Evil 5... not so much.

    RE these days is basically a blockbuster action movie in which you go along for the ride. If anyone is trying to survive, it's the infected abominations.

    Admittedly, DR is a bit of a marmite game like people have stated. There's just a lot more gameplay in DR compared to the mindless blasting of RE.

  • metallicorphan #34 2 years ago

    i didn't really have a problem with DR1's save system,(i loved the game)..but i think people who hated it should be alright this time if Dead Rising Case Zero is anything to go by,as you can have multiple saves

    i like the series,but can't really see it being bigger than Resi Evil


    and yeah,i miss Frank

    Dead Rising Case Zero mini spoiler
    kinda hoping we would hear what happened to him in DR:CZ..wasn't the case though
    Edited by metallicorphan at 02/09/10 @ 16:45

  • lavalant #35 2 years ago

    RE has a great reputation and legacy amongst gamers, (slightly dented by 5) Dead Rising is just too slapstick to be a serious contender. As much fun as Dead Rising is, I'd much prefer a decent next gen Resi game.

  • geoneo123 #36 2 years ago

    The games can not be compared in my eyes because they totally play out different in the act of survival.
    RE is starting to fade out with the 5th installment nothing on the past titles, did anyone experience the save problem on the game?
    Also I cant imagine a movie being made based on Dead Rising.............Hold on a minute!

  • KRadiation #37 2 years ago

    Probably would have helped if they had put the case zero game on the PS3 as well as the 360 to drum up hype on both consoles.

    Seems pretty dumb to claim you want this game to become a big series when you're out there limiting who gets to play the prequel game.

  • sfp_noodle #38 2 years ago

    Resident Evil 5 was fun, but there was nothing memorable about it. The structure was all wrong and I hated the way you had to replay levels to get more points and unlock weapons. RE was never an arcade game, so why did they turn it into one? It was a Resident Evil game in nothing but name.

    I think the series could benefit from a prolonged absense just like Street Fighter did. There was never really a true sequel to Street Fighter 3 and the Alpha series, whilst good, was just a stop gap. It was never as popular as SF2 or 3. SF4 came out around 12 years after the previous installment. Maybe a wait that long for another RE game wouldn't be great, it would at least let them realise what made the series so awesome in the first place. In fact, they almost nailed it with the brilliant Lost in Nightmares DLC so why they can't make a whole game out of something like that is beyond me. You had a co-op buddy with you at all times in that too but I was still shitting myself. The atmosphere was incredible. You really got a sense of dread, despite all the brightly lit coridoors.

    Capcom needs to leave Resident Evil and Devil May Cry alone until at least the next gen of consoles. I strongly doubt they'll be able to reform both of those series as the games have fallen in the fan's eyes and they will have to truely outstanding the next time if they are to please them again.

  • 5h1nj1 #39 2 years ago

    Well, just to balance the opinion above this one, I loved RE5. I really liked the new arcadeish gameplay, the graphics, the co-op mode, the cheesy story, the settings, the daylight(!), the weapons...
    I am a fan of the series but not as hardcore to not appreciate the qualities of the last installment. :)