Summary
Among Capcom’s catalog of IPs, all eyes may currently be largely focused onResident Evil. The developer’s flagship survival horror series has been on a tear sinceRE7rebooted the franchise in 2017 back into relevance following a shakier period during which many fans feltREhad begun to lose its identity and appeal. The subsequent quality remakes of the second and third entries, andRE7’s sequel,Village, were capped off in 2023 by themonumentally successfulResident Evil 4Remake. While this has putREfirmly back in the spotlight, one consequence is that it seems to have left little room for some of the studio’s other popular franchises, particularly the action-packed stylized demon-slaying series,Devil May Cry.
Devil May Cryis closely tied withResident Evil’s history. And though it’s understandable given the above that Capcom appears to be putting most of its efforts intoREat the moment, with the highly anticipated ninth numbered installment along with projects like the rumored remakes ofResident Evil ZeroandCode: Veronicain the works,DMCis also experiencing a bit of a resurgence. With all this in mind, it might then be a good idea for Capcom to soon consider giving some of the same attention to Dante and friends.
With Resident Evil on a Roll, Capcom Should Show Devil May Cry Some of the Same Love
Devil May Cry Owes its Existence to Resident Evil
For any fans who may be unaware,Devil May Cry’s origins are inextricably linked toResident Evil. During the development process for what would become the final version of the highly influentialRE4, various concepts were proposed for it. At the time, producer Shinji Mikami had been working with director and writer Hideki Kamiya on fleshing out new story and gameplay for the fourth entry. Some of the ideas and builds explored by Kamiya and his team led to a scrapped version ofRE4eventually becoming the template for what would later turn into thefirstDevil May Crygame, released in 2001.DMCthus literally wouldn’t exist withoutRE, and given their close connection along with the fact that the former has been on the back-burner at Capcom for a while, the moment might be at hand to bringDMCup to speed withRE.
The Time Might be Right for Capcom to Start Considering Devil May Cry Remakes
The most recent mainline entry,Devil May Cry 5, is now past its five-year mark, and there’s been little news since about apossibleDevil May Cry 6. It seems then that a new title isn’t in the cards for the foreseeable future. However, that doesn’t mean Capcom should shelve the series completely, and there are a few good reasons that it may want to focus onDevil May Cryremakes in the vein ofResident Evil’s sooner rather than later.
There have previously been various special editions and updated versions, including the well-receivedDMC HD Collectionin 2018 that bundled the first through the third games. The franchise is also coming back into the limelight thanks to theDevil May CryNetflix animated series getting a warm reception, with it already being given the go-ahead for a second season. Capcom has found awinning recipe for theResident EvilRemakes, and it can apply the same process toDMC’s titles, which would likely satisfy players.
ThoughResident Evilmay be overshadowing and taking precedence over most, if not all, other projects at Capcom,Devil May Crystill remains popular, and has been given a boost on the strength of its recent tie-in. Given Capcom’s track record with remakes along withDMCcoming back into prominence, it might just be a prudent time for it to look at givingDMCthe full remake treatment next to ensure it doesn’t languish and assure fans that it’s still committed to supporting it in some way.
