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Capcom COO: No Monster Hunter 4 Vita plans 'for now'
Capcom currently has no plans to release Monster Hunter 4 on the Vita, according to Siliconera's translation of Mainichi Shinbun Digital's interview with Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto last week. Tsujimoto explained that Capcom wants "to have as many people as possible play it on the 3DS, and we are only thinking about making it succeed." Tsujimoto cited a "limit to how long something can be continuously developed on the same hardware" as a reason for the switch up between Sony and Nintendo's platforms. When he was questioned about developing for the PS4 and next-generation consoles, Tsujimoto's thoughts seemed to clash with their strategy for Monster Hunter 4: "While planning out game content, we will develop and judge which hardware is the most suitable. However, for the sake of the players, having it be a multi-development is the most ideal." During the same interview, Tsujimoto stated that Capcom hopes to sell 2.8 million units of Monster Hunter 4 in seven months. Considering they managed to move 1.6 million copies of the Japan-exclusive Monster Hunter Tri-G for the 3DS, finding 2.8 million players to slay a fresh pack of monsters with enormous weapons might be a cakewalk.
Capcom CEO wants shorter dev times, faster Devil May Cry turnaround
Capcom Chairman and CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto told investors of the company's plan to "reduce the time needed to develop major titles from the usual three to four years to only two and a half years," as part of a briefing on the fiscal year 2011 financial results earlier this month."Speeding up development will probably raise the cost," he said. "But creating quality content will be vital to Capcom's ability to survive by overcoming intense global competition. We will make substantial investments to develop this content."President and COO of Capcom Haruhiro Tsujimoto added to the CEO's comments in his own address, saying the company's plan is also "to increase [DLC] sales from 2.8 billion yen in the past fiscal year to 3.5 billion yen in the current fiscal year." The COO also noted that the upcoming Resident Evil 6 will release approximately three and a half years after Resident Evil 5, and Lost Planet 3 will launch after a two and a half year development cycle, both in a shorter time span than with past games.He added that DmC Devil May Cry will require five years of development due to a decision to switch to an external developer, with the end goal of creating new games in the series every two and a half years. With DmC Devil May Cry shipping in 2013, that equates to another game in the series in 2015.
Capcom COO anticipates 'new' 3DS digital distribution service
3-D is great and all, but Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto is excited about another possible component of Nintendo's 3DS: a new distribution system for games, similar to Apple's App Store. "What we're more looking forward to is the offering of a new business model," he told Nikkei BP (translated by Andriasang). "Nintendo has been in the hardware business for a long time, and I believe they must be looking closely at Apple's recent success." This came after Tsujimoto praised Japanese mobile phone provider NTT DoCoMo's open, App Store-style business model. Of course, Nintendo already has a digital distribution platform on the DS, DSiWare, as well as digital services for Wii. But Nintendo's digital platforms are currently less open than the App Store, and therefore much less populous. We'll likely find out at E3 whether Tsujimoto's prediction is true.
Capcom hopes to 'heat up' Resident Evil series to coincide with next film
While the undead are typically characterized as being cold & clammy -- not to mention their whole penchant for eating the living -- Capcom COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto says he hopes to "heat up" the zombie-fueled Resident Evil game franchise to coincide with Resident Evil: Afterlife's arrival in theaters this fall. "The 3D movie Resident Evil IV Afterlife starring Milla Jovovich is scheduled to hit theaters on September 10. Timed with the movie's release, we'd like to do something to heat up the game series," Tsujimoto told with Japanese business journal Nikkei BP. Whether that means a new game announcement, the release of a current RE title on a new platform or ... well, anything really wasn't specified. What we do know is that Tokyo Game Show 2010 will open a mere six days following the film on September 16, making it ideally timed for such a "hot" game announcement. [Via Andriasang]
Capcom president on E3 2010, new motion controllers
Speaking to the Financial Times (registration required) Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto declared that the success of Microsoft and Sony's upcoming Natal and Move motion controllers depends on sound planning. "If there isn't a strong business model message from the platform holders about how they will develop [motion controllers] with users," said Tsujimoto, "then I don't think it will go well." In other words, Tsujimoto places the onus of success on the manufacturers of the motion controllers, and not necessarily on the games that will be created for them. Tsujimoto also took time to reiterate Capcom's stance on overseas game developers, noting that the company will use them for sequels to established products. Regarding E3, Tsujimoto discussed a shift in the gaming industry toward downloadable titles, devices like the iPad and social networks. He added that Capcom will be heavily pursuing downloadable titles, the iPad and Facebook. As for the likely star of Nintendo's E3 showings, the 3DS, Tsujimoto said he is "interested" to see what the device does "apart from 3D."
Capcom working on Facebook game, could be out by next March
From what we hear, the kids are all abuzz about something called "The Facebook" these days. Japanese game publisher Capcom is jumping on board the popular social network, with president Haruhiro Tsujimoto revealing in a recent interview with BusinessWeek that a new game could be ready before the end of the fiscal year (ending March 31, 2011). "Gaming on social networks is poised to impact the traditional video game industry and is a presence that cannot be ignored. We have to make our move," he said. Presumably, Tsujimoto and Capcom want a low-investment moneymaker on Facebook to help bolster the coming year's sales over last year's "sluggish" earnings. For our part, we're hoping for a Resident Evil-based, free-to-play management sim. Who isn't? [Via WhatTheyPlay]
