Capcom details how they plan make the best of higher development costs in the future.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Capcom discussed sales expectations with the launch of the Wii and PS3 fast approaching. Capcom hopes to sell 150,000 games this year on the PS3, compared to 1.85 million for the Xbox 360. Dead Rising shipped over 500,000 units in the first two weeks of availability, and Capcom expects to ship 1 million copies of Lost Planet worldwide. “We have been continuously making million-selling titles for new game platforms. Not many companies can do it. It’s the know-how we’ve accumulated over the years,” said Kazuhiko Abe, executive officer in charge of corporate strategy at Capcom.
With rising costs, multiplatform titles are a real possibility for Capcom. “The costs have risen, so the question is how to recover them best. Even if the costs double, we now have three platforms for which to make content,” said Kazuhiko Abe. “We are also making games for PC which can be easily converted into Xbox games. Games for the Wii, which is a little bit different from other consoles, can be used in the amusement business.”
Finally, Abe gives his thoughts on where the industry at large is headed. “This year the market was driven by software for handheld game players,” he said. “The situation will continue until the middle of next year when games for PS3 and Wii will begin to come out in earnest.”
Capcom is close to shipping Lost Planet for the Xbox 360 this January, with Resident Evil 5 likely shipping for multiple systems at an unspecified date.
