MagiusNecros
Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
Probably not. They already made the money they wanted. And they are really proud of their story that makes their campy Resident Evil CG movies look amazing in comparison.
PCGamer: "Capcom execs were bewildered that people might want to play original Resident Evil when GOG approached them about it"
- Thread starter GrayChild
- Start date
delishcaek
Member
same energy
PlayStaytion
Member
Playing pretend on these roles is troublesome for sure, these executives aren't real gamers
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Guilty_AI
Member
Honestly could work. Sell ROMs bundled with an emulator, they already do this with DOS games.
bender
What time is it?
It will all depend on sales figures. I can't imagine they'll make much money from this and some money is better than money works for for individuals, but is probably a rounding error on a percentage of one point to a company like Capcom. Like you mentioned, this does have the advantage of GoG doing all the heavy lifting and they might have even given Capcom special terms to make it more attractive.
ROMs would definitely need to be rated again which is a cost. Consumers are more digital savvy these days than when other legal ROMs were offered, but I still think demand is going to be pretty limited to play old games and convincing those who do, not to just pirate them. It's a weird push/pull from a pricing standpoint as they'd have to be low cost enough to convince people to buy them, but also lucrative enough to make a company put in whatever effort is required for reclassification, hunting down the source material, and having lawyers sign contracts.
It sold so well. My only hope is for a Switch 2 exclusive that focuses on portability that is later ported to other platforms. It would suck if MonHun is another franchise in my rear view mirror, but that's most of Capcom to me these days.
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Killer8
Member
The saying that backwards compatibility is often asked for but rarely used rings true. Can't remember which exec said it but they were just being honest. All these companies are aware that old games are simply not a priority for most people and make them fuck all money. We saw this in the Insomniac PSN leaks, which included PS1 and PS2 download sales data.
It's also not like it's free money either, because they still need to pay a team of people to put these releases together over many months. It's almost not even worth it and is a reason why the trend nowadays is to bundle the retro library into a service they can sell you, like the Nintendo Online sub or PS Plus Premium. Capcom probably know that people who really care will be torrenting a PS1 copy to play on Retroarch.
From a cultural point of view, it also stands to reason that the Japanese in particular, who are an extremely flavor of the week country, are going to take a lot of convincing to resurrect the past. Retro shops in Akihabara don't exist for the benefit of the Japanese, they exist for the purpose of sweaty gaijin loading up a suitcase and taking them back to America to hock on eBay.
It also doesn't help that GoG is permanently on life support and I fully expect to lose access to my library at some point in the next 10 years. A release on Steam I could understand, not so much the doomed Polish venture.
It's also not like it's free money either, because they still need to pay a team of people to put these releases together over many months. It's almost not even worth it and is a reason why the trend nowadays is to bundle the retro library into a service they can sell you, like the Nintendo Online sub or PS Plus Premium. Capcom probably know that people who really care will be torrenting a PS1 copy to play on Retroarch.
From a cultural point of view, it also stands to reason that the Japanese in particular, who are an extremely flavor of the week country, are going to take a lot of convincing to resurrect the past. Retro shops in Akihabara don't exist for the benefit of the Japanese, they exist for the purpose of sweaty gaijin loading up a suitcase and taking them back to America to hock on eBay.
It also doesn't help that GoG is permanently on life support and I fully expect to lose access to my library at some point in the next 10 years. A release on Steam I could understand, not so much the doomed Polish venture.
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Guilty_AI
Member
Rating isn't an issue as the vast majority of countries accept a self-classification via IARC (you basically fill out a formulary when publishing on an online platform and it automatically determines the age-rating of the game in each country that accepts this method).
The biggest issue that may arise from trying to sell old ROMs is either cases where the original material/source has been lost, or potential licensing problems with music, brands, etc. There are ways around those, like some racing games that replace car brands with generic ones or removing songs that aren't elegible anymore, but yeah, there's usually a cost involved in such cases.
bender
What time is it?
But it is an issue in some countries and comes with a cost which is an issue when there isn't a lot of pie to be divided in the first place. It's part of the reason why Nintendo shifted from a Virtual Console storefront to including a classics catalogue via subscription service. Most games probably didn't generate enough money to deal with certification, submission, and whatever other effort was involved. It's also why I didn't include games with licensing issues as there just isn't enough to be made to remedy those issues. But, like I mentioned before, those services were around before your average consumer was used to digital libraries and the PC userbase is a different animal all together. Still, I think it's understandable for Capcom executives to be hesitant based on previous experiences trying to sell older titles as they were instead of the modern remake strategy.
Guilty_AI
Member
The countries where it's an issue are basically Russia and China, places where selling just any game can be complicated to begin with.
They did that because they're greedy fucks who like sucking money out of their fanbase.
But yeah, releasing any game through digital means today is basically a non-issue. It's why you can have Ms. Sig releasing ren'py novel CBT With Yuuka Kazami about managing mental health on steam.
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bender
What time is it?
Nah, if it were profitable venture the store would have never been discontinued in the first place. They later turned it into padding for their subscription service. Same for Sony.
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
So GOG had to work to convince Capcom that there do, in fact, exist human beings who like to play old games. "It took a lot of convincing that there is an audience that has a lot of memories about those games," said Paczynski, "and would love to experience exactly the same game again. Thankfully, we were able to convince them."
Capcom needed convincing?
They've been releasing their older titles on modern platforms for years. This isn't anything new to them. I doubt they were shocked that people like to play old games.
Capcom needed convincing?
They've been releasing their older titles on modern platforms for years. This isn't anything new to them. I doubt they were shocked that people like to play old games.
Enzo88
Member
Dude...the only remake that is actually better than the original is Re 1.....2-3-4 are all better in their original form.
Regardless of that, the originals are fundamentally a different experience, there is value in keeping that around.
I hope Konami listens too, i am happy to have the remakes, but i want the original Silent Hills available..in decent form and on modern consoles, thank you.
Regardless of that, the originals are fundamentally a different experience, there is value in keeping that around.
I hope Konami listens too, i am happy to have the remakes, but i want the original Silent Hills available..in decent form and on modern consoles, thank you.
Enzo88
Member
Probably millions of people.
Considering the level of effort required, It's easy money...
Also, not every decision has to be short-term, money driven (especially when the bet has low stakes like this one). Respecting and protecting your history will bring good will, in and out of the company.
StreetsofBeige
Member
I dont get it either.
Release a game a digitally and just let it sit there forever. It's free money. It's not like other industries you actually have to keep making it on factory lines so every product gets evaluated whats worth making or not.
Only reason for NOT putting on e-stores is if they want people to play the next sequel on purposes for more MTX like a shooter or sports games. Or the company wants to purposely hide a crappy game. But a good canned SP game like RE1 doesn't affect other sequels. In fact, it should help it as people who never played the first one can go back to the original game for sake of complete content of all games to play.
Perrott
Member
Crash Bandicoot 3 -- a title comparable in popularity to the OG Resident Evil trilogy -- sold over a million units across PSP and PS3 through its PSOne Classics digital re-release. We know this thanks to the PS Store revenue and LTD sales figures from the Insomniac leak.
You're naive to believe that a decently-ported package of the three mainline RE games from the PS1 wouldn't move at least a couple million units across all platforms.
NeverYouMind
Member
It is a shame GOG chose that piece of shit RE3: Nemesis over RE Survivor to make available. Missed opportunity to have a great PS1 era collection.
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Reizo Ryuu
Member
or are you naive to believe it would even break 500k?
onimusha 2, a game that actually plays like classic resident evils, probably didn't sell more than 50k copies.
NeverYouMind
Member
Onimusha 2 sucks. Why would anyone want to play an ugly bastard like Jubei and engage in dating sim mechanics to play as other randoms?
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ZehDon
Member
Quite the opposite, actually. For the Xbox, which prioritised it's BC efforts since the Xbone, around 50% of users play or played backwards compatible games. In PC land, where "BC" isn't really a "thing", the trend is even stronger - the vast majority of gamers spend the majority of their time playing older titles. In fact, especially on PC, new games are essentially competing against decades of older titles, many of which look better, run better, have less bugs, are cheaper, have more content, and have years of modding. BC is hugely in demand.
The primary reason BC efforts are disincentivized, and publishers don't really lean into it, is because it isn't the biggest business for them. Players have already purchased these games, so there's little new money to be made, and for new players, older titles are expected to be cheap so even then it doesn't drive massive revenue. BC efforts are a way to incentivise platform adoption and player retention - likely why Microsoft focused on it, to keep their smaller install base loyal. This is why remasters and remakes are their preference - most of the game is done, so it's largely an asset creation exercise, existing players have to buy in again, and new players are paying a higher entry point. BC benefits players, less so publishers - hence them pushing the narrative that "it's often asked for, but rarely used".
Remember, Blizzard told their fans that "WoW Classic" was something they think they wanted, but they didn't really want. Today, it boasts a million monthly users.
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Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Can't fault them much since the original game's remake is both faithful & awesome, there's little outside nostalgia to go back to the original for (unlike 2+). But that's still pretty weird as they've put them all on PSN/PS Plus before, different 'execs' hanlded discussions with a nobody like gog maybe.
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Killer8
Member
50% used BC at least once on Xbox but that isn't the same as 50% of total playtime being used on BC games, or 50% of money being spent on BC games (the important part for publishers). That figure could just as well be coming from someone firing up a childhood classic for 5 minutes and then never engaging with the service ever again. Particularly when Game Pass has many BC games on it for 'free'' to incentivise that behaviour.
On PC I don't think anything is particularly surprising about their data. Most of the top played games are multiplayer games, free, have very low system requirements and also a degree of live service. Dota 2, CS, Fortnite, all are still 'alive' even if they are old. WoW classic also fits some of those criteria. It's a different story when looking at ancient single player games where only really Skyrim is excelling.
There is also quite a bit of an age gap between a game that's around 5-10 years old versus a game like the original Resident Evils. Jim Ryan was rightly shit on for saying "why would anyone play this?", but many people do have that mentality and refuse to engage with old games, which itself necessitates the need for remakes.
JimmyRustler
Member
So much for my hope that Capcom would one day make a modern classic RE as a throwback for the old fans. 
Team Andromeda
Member
I don't believe GOG for a second
poodaddy
Member
Northeastmonk
Gold Member
Are they surprised people still play SF2? When there's SF6 
NeverYouMind
Member
I play more Street Fighter II than Bland Fighter 6. I think I spent more time in Bland Fighter 6 playing Street Fighter II arcade than the actual game as well.Are they surprised people still play SF2? When there's SF6
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Madserb2023
Member
I would love a remaster of the originals with AI upscaled backgrounds especially Nemesis.
Hypereides
Member
Just goes to show how out-of-touch and detached the suits in this biz are. Make no mistake, this isn't an uncommon phenomenon among the c-suites. Especially, at the big League AAA pubs.
They really are. They truly have no fingers on the pulse about the current consensus among actual gamers nor participate in gaming conversations. They're inclined to believe it suffices to control this perception through astroturfing and guerrilla marketing. The relationship between gamers and them isn't reciprocal or bi-directional in any way. They're more likely to grimace at you while still trying to persuade you into buying whatever they're selling.
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TerribleAtThisGame
Member
They should know by now that there is at least a small, dedicated fanbase for everything. It seems like the overhead is very little so why fight it? Or maybe the overhead wasn't little because really it just translates to "this won't make money" of course.
