Looks like we have finally entered a new golden age for Capcom.
Following a rough couple of years with seemingly no direction and less-than-stellar titles from its most popular brand, Resident Evil, Capcom is back in full force, owing much of its newfound success to what is their fan-favorite series: Monster Hunter. This series was introduced to widespread acclaim with the release of Monster Hunter World, a title that was mainly for home consoles rather than handhelds. It also introduced the series to a market Capcom has never entered before: PC gaming.
Looks like their efforts to streamline and introduce the series to a new and much more casual audience paid off, as proven by their recent financial call. In it, Capcom revealed that Monster Hunter World is now their best selling title of all time, reaching 12 million units shipped worldwide across the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC platforms.
"Monster Hunter World... continued to report strong sales," Capcom said. "With total shipments breaking 12 million units, marking a record high for any single title in the company's history." Their recent titles this year also fared extremely well. The horror remake of Resident Evil 2, which utilized the all-new RE Engine used in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, reached four million units shipped worldwide. Dante’s return as a boomer along with his demon brother Vergil and his nephew Nero in Devil May Cry V also marked a strong point, with shipped units reaching two million copies.
What seems to be different this time around is Capcom’s commitment to breaking through the PC market, which in the past they have simply ignored. It’s not surprising that now Capcom is enjoying a resurgence, earning more than 18 billion yen in pre-tax profits, a record high for the Japanese company. To put this into perspective, Monster Hunter World’s total sales figures were earned in a matter of months, versus Capcom’s previous best-selling title, Resident Evil 5, which reached 7.4 million units in lifetime sales.
Capcom's Top 10 Best-Selling Games of All Time
Monster Hunter: World - 11.9 million units
Resident Evil 5 - 7.4 million units
Resident Evil 6 - 7.2 million units
Street Fighter II - 6.3 million units
Resident Evil 7 - 6.1 million units
Resident Evil 2 (1998) - 4.96 million units
Monster Hunter Freedom 3 - 4.9 million units
Monster Hunter X (Cross) - 4.3 million units
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - 4.2 million units
Monster Hunter 4 - 4.1 million units
