Capcom is one of the juggernauts of the gaming world. For decades they gave us golden titles such as Megaman, Resident Evil, and of course Street Fighter. But it seems as of late that they’ve been grabbing at the air trying to recapture the success of their glory days. It just seems as though Capcom is not the same developer as they used to be, and there are a few reasons why that is.
Keiji Inafune Is Gone
Keiji Inafune was the heart of Capcom. He was the creator of some of the most lucrative titles the company had ever seen, but perhaps he is best remembered for giving us the blue bomber Mega Man. While he was not the sole creator of Mega Man, it is agreed that his touch is why the character and series remained so popular. Inafune was a huge proponent of embracing change and new game mechanics while the rest of Capcom seemed to revel in sticking with the same formula. Inafune’s departure was most likely because of the development of Mega Man Legends 3. Inafune had wished to make a sequel to the cult favorite (the first ever 3D Mega Man game) while Capcom only gave the minimum amount of support. He was also a proponent of utilizing gameplay types from Western games to combat the image that Japanese games were behind the times. He was not listened to.
No Innovation
Capcom seems to be one of the many video game developers in Japan that is slow to accept change in any form it comes in. Japan once dominated the gaming market, but the Unreal Engine 3 changed all that. That gaming engine has dominated game development over this console generation and has led to Western games becoming the biggest sellers. The disconnect between Japanese game developers and their audience is best exemplified with Capcom who seems to shy away from technical innovation and progress.
It’s Not All So Bad
Despite Capcom’s faltering, it seems as though they may finally be moving forward and embracing innovation. The Resident Evil games (for better or worse) are taking on more Westernized gaming styles. Street Fighter is better than ever. Best of all, it looks as though they are readying some new properties as well. While Capcom has certainly stumbled this generation it looks like they will pick themselves up in the long run.
