Capcom explains why PC versions are released later

By Robert Purchese Published 20 February, 2012

Deliberate torture, clearly.

Capcom games are released later on PC because development doesn't usually begin until after the console versions have been finished, company bigwig Christian Svensson has explained.

ports

All PCs have 13 ports they're SO CONFUSING.

Street Fighter X Tekken launches 9th March on PS3 and Xbox 360, but not until 14th May on PC. And Resident Evil 6 arrives 20th November for consoles, but later on PC.

"Quite often," began Svensson's answer to an Ask Capcom post, "PC development starts when the console development finishes or nearly finishes.

"Unless we start sitting on the console code and not releasing it until the PC development is complete (which we can't do from a business planning perspective), there's going to continue to be some small gaps, unfortunately.

"We try to keep the gap as small as possible and, at times, we have been able to make them simultaneous: Dark Void, Bionic Commando, BCR, MotoGP, Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 2:OTR.

"Oh," he added, "and Arcade Edition was shipped on PC within one week of the console retail release (which I'd consider pretty much simultaneous)."

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (69) Latest comment 3 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • thebuzzard #1 3 months ago

    Anyone whos played their PC games knows why, its because they dont create PC games, they just port the 360 version.

  • bobfish09 #2 3 months ago

    Not really a problem, a few weeks here and there isn't an issue. It is when they drop the PC completely that I have a problem.

  • HerrQwerty #3 3 months ago

    PC gamers are a bunch of freeloaders anyway.

  • Triggerhappytel #4 3 months ago

    "at times, we have been able to make them simultaneous: Dark Void, Bionic Commando, BCR, MotoGP, Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 2:oTR."

    So what you mean is, externally developed games can manage simultaneous launches whereas games developed in-house at Capcom cannot.

  • Nodka #5 3 months ago

    Well at least they are releasing on the PC unlike some other Japanese developers/publishers games don't often get released at all.

  • Radikool #6 3 months ago

    They prioritise consoles because they know they can make more money on those systems. I don't have an issue with that but why do they bother to dress up the issue and lie about it?

  • pzykozis #7 3 months ago

    So what, they develop the games on the pc but don't playtest them as they build, because the development for the pc game which is being developed on the pc hasn't started until they've finished developing? Makes sense.

  • uiruki #8 3 months ago

    @thebuzzard Which, in the case of Street Fighter 4, is a port from PC based arcade hardware!

  • node #9 3 months ago

    Fine by me, I'm grateful they bother at all.

  • Optimaximal #10 3 months ago

    As uiriki points out, it's baffling, as all their Arcade hardware has been essentially a PC in a fancy box for the better part of 10 years. Same for SEGA.

  • AbyssUK #11 3 months ago

    Hey EG thanks for the Win XP Home key...

  • frostcircus #12 3 months ago

    Their ports have become pretty good recently; I don't really mind waiting for them. I'm grateful we get them at all

  • uninspiredcup #13 3 months ago

    At least he's not blaming piracy.

  • uninspiredcup #14 3 months ago

    @uninspiredcup Even though most pc gamers will steal the game, obviously.

  • uninspiredcup #15 3 months ago

    @HerrQwerty True. Alot of pc gamers complain about dumbing down. But if you didn't jump on pirate bay and steal everything left right and centre, pc gaming wouldn't be the cheap port console dump it has become.

    Basically, it's your own fault pc gamers. You made pc gaming what it is today and continue to do so with piracy and make every poor excause you can to justify it.

  • cheeky_pete #16 3 months ago

    @HerrQwerty The irony is on a per unit sold the PC version makes more money for the developer and publisher if it's sold digitally. Who's the freeloader now?

  • cheeky_pete #17 3 months ago

    @uninspiredcup So how did the job interview with Ubisoft go? Well I assume ಠ_ಠ

  • bad09 #18 3 months ago

    Others manage it. ;)

    To be honest I would imagine most PC gamers expect a late game as it's a practice...er sorry "problem" many have nowadays. Still a small delay is a lot better than the Rockstar method of flat out denying it will happen for 6 months after the console release.

    I think uninspiredcup has his socks mixed up there, he seems to be replying to himself. Uh-oh...
    Edited by bad09 at 20/02/12 @ 11:20

  • spekkeh #19 3 months ago

    All the consoles are essentially pcs too. Of course the difference is that with the consoles (as with the arcade boxes), you know exactly what you're working with, whereas the pc code has to accomodate for an endless amount of configurations.

  • TrevHead #20 3 months ago

    I understand why PC comes out later than console, the thing I demand from my ports are:

    #1 No overly resrictive DRM
    #2 Its properly ported so its playable on PC. IE FoV, controller / keyboard rebinding, graphics options, good netcode
    #3 No gimping of the PC version eg Mass Effect 3 having no controller support
    #4 Let me know that a PC version is planned, I might just buy the 360 version possibly used
    #5 If the game has any major bugs at release provide a later patch or some tech support on forums (im looking at you EA with laggy mouse in Deadspace 1)

  • Belmonth #21 3 months ago

    its ok Sven, just bring Dragons Dogma to PC also :)

  • morpheus2n2 #22 3 months ago

    What everyone always seems to forget its also harder to make PC games as a whole, Consoles are easy as each console is the same no matter what but PC's there's a billion different combo's out there so making PC games takes a little bit longer as they need to make sure as many people as pos will be able to play, if they did take that little bit longer you would get games that would only work for a select few people that have similar PC builds and everyone else is shut out!

  • PeacockDreams #23 3 months ago

    Wait!!

    Games on a PC???

    /wonders whatever will they think of next

  • sonicyoda #24 3 months ago

    Robert is my favourite writer on EG :)

  • TrevHead #25 3 months ago

    @uninspiredcup while I dont want this thread to turn into another piracy / troll debate its worth pointing out that piracy on the consoles isnt that far behind PC especially for some 360 and Wii games.

    Has MS ever stated just how many banned modded 360s are out there? I doubt it because they dont want facts like that scaring devs

  • persus-9 #26 3 months ago

    @uninspiredcup So all PC gamers are evil thieves and deserve to be screwed over because some PC gamers pirate software? How the hell does that make any sense?

  • johnson81 #27 3 months ago

    This is a complete load of bollocks. I understand they need to make money by releasing on consoles first, but tell it like it is and not through a thinly veiled lie. In 8 weeks they manage to completely rebuild/porting, bug fixing for a stable release etc?? I smell bull.

  • persus-9 #28 3 months ago

    Okay so the next question is why do they start developing on PC after they've finished developing on all other platforms? Why make things simultaneously for PS3 and 360 and then port to PC? I don't see why it will be more efficient seeing as you'll still have to put the hours in either way.

  • xmifi #29 3 months ago

    @HerrQwerty Tell that to Gabe Newell and then watch as he will laugh his ass off.

  • efebayor #30 3 months ago

    Their ports are some of the best going.

  • FireMonkey #31 3 months ago

    @TrevHead - I'd actually say DS piracy is worse than than on PC too. Nearly everyone I know with a DS has an R4 card. Even my mum was asking me how they work the other month.

  • talhamid #32 3 months ago

    In other words: it often doesn't make financial sense to release on PCs.

    PIRACY!!!!

    The problem is, most devs don't realize why PC games don't sell that many legal copies. Case in point: the country I live in, I can easily get the latest PS3 and X360 games through legal channels and I do. PC? For one thing, there is NOT ONE SINGLE SHOP selling or importing legit PC games, in the entire country. Secondly, the stupid online stores of these big publishers often don't list more than a dozen countries as legally supported. Result? There's NO FREAKING WAY to get a legit PC game here, despite widespread availability of broadband and no shortage of specialized games retailers.

    Fix that and THEN whine about PC piracy.

  • HerrQwerty #33 3 months ago

    @cheeky_pete Sources? For every game? With sweeping statements like that you should be woriking for the Mail or Telegraph.

  • DrStrangelove #34 3 months ago

    @HerrQwerty, @uninspiredcup

    I give your trolling attempts 3/10.

  • HerrQwerty #35 3 months ago

    @xmifi I cant, I'm too busy waiting for the next Steam sale.

  • Jay-ITFC #36 3 months ago

    Nothing to do with wanting gamers to buy the 'more expensive' and 'more hassle to pirate' console version then?

  • HerrQwerty #37 3 months ago

    @DrStrangelove Dont give up your day job, you're a terrible critic. Now get back down your mine shaft.

  • spekkeh #38 3 months ago

    @TrevHead So basically you demand from a port that they're going to put a lot more effort into it than making the original game? Does that make business sense?

  • Street89 #39 3 months ago

    @HerrQwerty Would you like to see my Steam purchase history?

  • deadstoned #40 3 months ago

    Capcoms PC ports always arrive later because their PC games are ports... If they were real PC games they wouldn't use Games for Windows LIVE, they'd use Steamworks.

  • HerrQwerty #41 3 months ago

    @Street89 Sure. Never knew you were single handedly propping up the entire PC gaming industry.

  • Shakey_Jake33 #42 3 months ago

    To Capcom's credit, thanks to their use of the MT Framework engine, the PC versions of the games are usually excellent. And a couple of weeks difference isn't a big issue.

    Waiting half a year (like what happened with Resident Evil 5) is when it becomes a bit irksome though. I'll be playing Resident Evil 6 half a year after the rest of the world has moved on.

  • persus-9 #43 3 months ago

    I'm finding that PC picture quite confusing. What the hell is port 12? I've been building my own PCs for over 15 years now and I've never seen or heard of the like of it. It looks to me for all the world like a little DC input to the PSU but why the hell would a big expensive AC to DC converter (which is what the PSU is) want a DC input? Is it some sort of proprietary jack for fan controller built into the PSU or something? I'm utterly confused. O_o

  • HerrQwerty #44 3 months ago

    @spekkeh I know right? These guys are so deluded. During the Steam Sale over Xmas I had people trying to give me links to PirateBay-esque sites, begging, threatening, calling me gringo and other stupid things in order to get me to give them a game. None wanted to do a fair trade. The amount of racism/sexism/homophobia on people's Steam profiles makes idiots on Live and PSN look like reasonable chaps.

  • geeza2020 #45 3 months ago

    What the fuck are you talking about? How can someone sending YOU a link for piratebay, be trying to get you to GIVE THEM a game? That's just nonsense. And the Steam profiles thing? How long do you spend examining other peoples profiles on Steam? Is there really nothing better for you to do with your life? And please, worse than XBL? Have you ever played a single round of any call of duty game on there? Its like a fucking zoo at feeding time.

    Now go back to your cry wanking over the fact daddy wont by you an alienware.
    Edited by geeza2020 at 20/02/12 @ 12:46

  • Rack #46 3 months ago

    They do great ports so I'm happy enough to wait. If they'd just explain why they use Games For Windows Live I'd be happier still and if they dropped it I'd be completely happy.
    Edited by Rack at 20/02/12 @ 12:52

  • Darren #47 3 months ago

    @thebuzzard - That's harsh considering that Capcom where among the first to include DirectX 10 support for games like Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet and DirectX 11 support for Lost Planet 2, including tessellation with the latter. They even include proper *gasp* actual graphics options with anti-aliasing, etc., which 99% of console 'ports' usually don't.

  • Ryze #48 3 months ago

    TBH, and I know that this might not be popular with he PC crowd, but...

    Waiting for the console versions to sell for the first couple of months is beneficial to them, because as soon as the PC version arrives, someone will crack it wide open and post it on the torrent sites.

    I can't really blame them for holding back the PC version.

    It will be nice to see SFxT running at 1080p on PC hardware. I do hope that they optimise it well.

    No more junk PC versions please, Capcom.
    Edited by Ryze at 20/02/12 @ 14:40

  • skunkfish #49 3 months ago

    @persus-9 I suspect it's for powering the monitor. I've seen something similar on our office machines...

  • HerrQwerty #50 3 months ago

    @geeza2020 I typed in English so if you have problems understanding it then go back to school.

    Let me break it down for you: I was given a game by Steam in the giftpile give away. I offered to trade it with another game and was willing to accept games that were decent even if they cost less than the one I was given by Steam - got it? People would add me, with stupid profiles, probably a lot like yours. Then in conversation they would try to give me links to download sites and expect me to just give them the game I had been given by Steam. Some begged, some said they couldnt feed their children if they bought a game to trade with me, some were racist with the usual British stereotypes thrown at me. PC gamers arent some effing noble race of great people who all buy games like some people want to believe.

    As for Alienware, I have an i7 laptop that can run Saints Row or any other recent major release. I'm not some poor whingy pleb like you. I used to be a PC gamer but we all know the piracy has forced Publishers to shift away from it.

  • HerrQwerty #51 3 months ago

    @geeza2020
    Now you all will chime in with 'oh but people pirate on the DS/Wii/Xbox/PS3 too!!!!'. Yeah they do. Some pricks in my local pub brag about getting free gas or electricity or freeloading off their neighbour's internet. Does everyone do it though? Of course not, gas/electric/internet companies would stop providing services if people ripped them off so much. The same with Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo - if so many people ripped them off they wouldnt bother making games or consoles.

    Yet what do we see in the PC games market? Publishers are not selling games, developers are removing resources - THEY ARE CUTTING OFF THE SUPPLY! Its not to hard to understand that the PC gaming community has made its bed and now doesnt want to lie in it. Tough shit. I've got a Xbox/PS3 and 3DS to play on. Cant wait for the Vita and WiiU either. Who needs PC gaming?
    Edited by HerrQwerty at 20/02/12 @ 13:49

  • prudislav #52 3 months ago

    Quite understand their but still I would love to see PC version of Dragon's Dogma

  • TH3WICK3D1 #53 3 months ago

    @Ryze
    well... the x360 version could get cracked wide open too yaknow?
    so whats the point?

  • uninspiredcup #54 3 months ago

    @persus-9 I didn't say all, I said most. Fact, most pc gameres will steal it.

  • Feanor #55 3 months ago

    I don't mind waiting if the ports are as high quality as RE 5 and DMC 4.

  • Matthew_Hornet #56 3 months ago

    It's strange how in every article of this nature a number of console gamers shows up to tell us that we will 'pirate it anyway'. Surely that's between me and PirateBay? I, for one, wouldn't presume to tell you which racist and/or homophobic remarks you will be using in your preferred shooty multiplayer console game tonight. In fact telling other people how they'll behave based on a foggy stereotype might be construed by some as asshole behavior. Which is clearly something the proud, never-pirating-oh-no-sir-that-chip-is-just-for-import-games, console race would never indulge in.

  • Ryze #57 3 months ago

    @TH3WICK3D1

    The point, is that to play the cracked 360 version, one has to own a PC and understand torrenting, then they also have to have their 360 modded.

    That's relatively a lot of hoops to jump through, considering the PC version needs no more kit or expertise beyond those that PC gamers already possess.

    Clear?

  • persus-9 #58 3 months ago

    @uninspiredcup What you said was: -
    True. Alot of pc gamers complain about dumbing down. But if you didn't jump on pirate bay and steal everything left right and centre, pc gaming wouldn't be the cheap port console dump it has become.

    Basically, it's your own fault pc gamers. You made pc gaming what it is today and continue to do so with piracy and make every poor excause you can to justify it.
    So you didn't explicitly say 'all' or 'most', however what you did do was address PC gamers collectively and tell them that it is their own fault because they're pirates. Lumping us all in together and laying the blame on us collectively like that implies the "all" that I used in my paraphrasing of your comment. It doesn't imply "most" or "just the pirates". You said "it is your fault PC Gamers", I'm a PC gamer and so you were clearly addressing me but I am not a pirate, not part of the "most" you now claim you were laying the blame on. You addressed your criticism to all PC gamers when the blame lies only with the subset who pirate games. If that wasn't what you meant then fine, I agree that pirates are a problem and are very detrimental to PC gaming, but don't claim I misinterpreted you just because you can't defend what you actually wrote. Just say "I didn't mean that...", it may be harder on the ego but it is far more civilised and makes you look like a reasonable person rather than a weasel.
    Edited by persus-9 at 20/02/12 @ 14:41

  • v.profane #59 3 months ago

    I've bought 5 Capcom PC games and they've all been bug free, well optimised, and fun. I don't mind if they're a bit late.

  • Bander #60 3 months ago

    @Optimaximal Most of Sega's recent arcade games were already on console and PC beforehand, like Sega Rally, All-Stars Racing and Grid. Apart from the unusual stuff like the urinal game, there's nothing to port back anymore :(

  • JumpinJackFlash #61 3 months ago

    Porting games like Street Fighter 4 Arcade for the PC is easy as the Arcade version runs on PC hardware i.e. Taito Type X

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taito_Type_X#Taito_Type_X2

  • colicabd #62 3 months ago

    When did we get to the point where 90% of new games are ported from console to pc. I remember a time when PC was the forerunner, now console is king, holds back hardware and development and is then ported to pc.

    It used to be the case that PC games were ported to consoles more often than not.

  • UncleLou #63 3 months ago

    Some desparate, unimaginative "me too" anti-PC trolling, what a surprise. Often a sign of consoles getting reallly long in the tooth. :)

    Oh, and I buy *all* my PC games.
    Edited by UncleLou at 20/02/12 @ 15:39

  • colicabd #64 3 months ago

    To the people saying "piracy" "its your own fault".

    *cough*

    Doom 1 and 2? Diskettes and the piss poor anti-piracy methods that had?
    This is nothing new not by a god damn long shot. Yes internet has globally linked piracy, but its been going on since the days before the household modem. When all you had to do was rent the game from a shop/library and cellotape over the ani-piracy part of the diskette.

    We already know that most games that are pirated are done so by people who wouldnt have bought the game full price anyway and that they would either pick it up cheap or 2nd hand if the pirate option wasnt available.

    Any game im excited about or been a fan of I buy, hands down no questions asked. If its something I wouldnt normally enjoy or am on the fence I grab a demo or torrent and if its good buy it.

    I dunno about other people but I tend to buy games I like which Ive "pirated". Theres a thing called multiplayer and when your pirate you literally get 50% of what you would had you bought it, assuming the sp isnt also locked to being online.

  • thebuzzard #65 3 months ago

    @Darren Ive never even played them I just wanted to see if I could get load of + votes. Seems I did.

  • bad09 #66 3 months ago

    @colicabd

    If you hadn't noticed consoles have caught up a bit now from those early days of console gamers looking on in envy. They may not be uber PCs, even this gen, but they do hold their own not to mention making games is expensive so a multiplatform release is normally what most publishers will do. PC port, console port what does it matter if we all can enjoy the games?

    Anyway there is still lots in the land of the elite that doesn't make it's way over (and vice versa) so nothing much has changed really.
    Edited by bad09 at 20/02/12 @ 15:54

  • geeza2020 #67 3 months ago

    @HerrQwerty - Well if you believe that its due to piracy then you'll believe anything. The only reason publishers and devs are pulling out of PC gaming and moving to the closed console systems is it gives them more control over who has access to whatever game/DLC/theme/avatar shite they are trying to rip you off with next. But then you seem like one of those people who likes unquestionably handing over wads of cash for shite to faceless corporations out of some sense of misplaced moral superiority. Goood luck with that sheep.

  • bad09 #68 3 months ago

    @UncleLou

    Most of the PC sock fest trolling on EG is only one or 2 people trolling over and over. The only "me too" is in their head :)

  • TrevHead #69 3 months ago

    @spekkeh "So basically you demand from a port that they're going to put a lot more effort into it than making the original game? Does that make business sense?"

    Did you read the things I was demanding? Things like Fov, graphics options etc are easy to impliment. Do you know what FoV is? its very important for ppl playing close to the monitor.

    As for bugs and netcode what I mean is that it works, with support for any major bugs.

    I honestly think youve dont understand that many examples of bad PC ports are cheap to impliment. Its just devs and publishers making a quick cash grab (with no demos) because PC games cant be sold on.

    As for if it makes business sense? yes it does because bad PC games burns ppl who buy their games at release. More and more gamers are savy to the idea of waiting a month or 2 to see how the game pans out.

    To sell anything anywhere, a customer needs to have confindence in the product, something that is badly lacking in AAA PC gaming
    Edited by TrevHead at 21/02/12 @ 07:29