A few days ago, Capcom finally revealed the mystery behind its countdown website, which turned out to be the official announcement of Street Fighter 6. Before the announcement, fans had theorized about what Capcom could be revealing given that there are many video game franchises under the studio’s belt, and it comes as no surprise that many thought the countdown could be Resident Evil related.
However, while Resident Evil fans may be disappointed that Capcom’s massive countdown turned out to be for another franchise, the announcement of Street Fighter 6 is a good thing. For starters, Capcom focused way too much on Resident Evil in the last few years, meaning that the franchise deserves a bit of a break. Additionally, Capcom has to keep its other IPs alive, especially Street Fighter, since Street Fighter 5 did not live up to expectations.
Resident Evil Has Been In The Spotlight For Too Long
Ever since the release of the Resident Evil 2 remake in 2019, Capcom had been popping out Resident Evil games every year, with Resident Evil 3 remake dropping in 2020 and Resident Evil Village launching in 2021. Not to mention, the studio is still developing a DLC expansion for Resident Evil Village. While it is worth pointing out that Capcom did release games from other franchises outside Resident Evil in the past few years, it is safe to say that the survival horror franchise has been the company’s focus.
Of course, given that Resident Evil remains Capcom’s most successful video game franchise, it is not surprising that the studio is trying to capitalize on its current popularity. However, the prolonged focus on Resident Evil increases the risk of Capcom compromising its quality for the sake of striking while the iron is hot. It is worth remembering that the five-year gap between Resident Evil 6 and 7 helped save the franchise from demise. The time between these two games allowed Capcom to return to the drawing board and really think about the direction of the series, resulting in Resident Evil 7 saving the franchise. As such, another break could be useful as a way to ensure that the next entry is as strong as the other recent titles.
Capcom Needs To Focus On Making Street Fighter 6 A Better Game
Additionally, the announcement of Street Fighter 6 instead of another Resident Evil game may be better because the Street Fighter franchise needs Capcom’s attention more than Resident Evil right now. It is no secret that when Capcom released Street Fighter 5 back in 2016, the game only received lukewarm reviews. While Street Fighter 5 was praised for its gameplay, many weren’t happy with its bare-bones content.
The initial version of the game did not feature any arcade mode, only had 16 characters, and lacked content to boost its replayability. Luckily for Street Fighter fans, subsequent releases such as Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition added tons of content. As a result, some call the Champion Edition the version that should have been released initially.
In the end, while Capcom does have multiple studios working on various franchises, it should allocate more of its resources to Street Fighter 6 than Resident Evil, given that the former needs more attention from the studio. But, of course, it is unlikely that Capcom will be giving Resident Evil a break anytime soon. As previously mentioned, the studio is still working on Resident Evil’s Village’s DLC, not to mention the many rumored games leaked during the big Capcom hack of 2020 that includes Resident Evil 4 remake, Resident Evil 9, and Resident Evil Outrage. Hopefully, if these games turn out to be in Capcom’s pipeline after all, their release dates will be carefully spaced out and they will not be rushed just to meet a deadline.
Street Fighter 6 is currently in development.
