Resident Evil 3’s launch was significantly down on its predecessors

Capcom’s Resident Evil 3 remake has reported the mainline series’ lowest launch numbers in more than a decade, according to the publisher’s own data.

As of June 30, the latest instalment has sold some 2.7m units after nearly three months of sales, Capcom said on Monday.

The figure marks a significant 55% decline from Resident Evil 2’s two-month launch sales of 4.2 million and a 30% decline from Resident Evil 7’s two-month launch sales of 3.5m.

It’s also lower than Resident Evil 6’s 4.8m launch and Resident Evil 5’s 5m (both in three months), however, these titles were released within the more mass-market action genre.

According to Capcom’s sales data, this year it’s sold almost double the number of back catalogue Resident Evil titles than copies of Resident Evil 3.

However, in its latest financial results, the publisher described RE3’s launch sales as “solid,” suggesting they could lie within its own expectations.

Resident Evil 3’s launch decline could be partly credited to the coronavirus pandemic, which significantly disrupted supply chains around RE3’s April release.

The title also received less favourable reviews compared to its predecessor, with a Metacritic score of between 77 and 84, compared to RE2’s 89 to 93.

In addition, the PlayStation original was a less popular game than its two predecessors and sold significantly less (including Director’s Cut versions).

Further reading

Shinji Mikami says ‘as long as Resident Evil 4 Remake turns out good, I have no issues’

Creator comments for first time on Remake

Capcom announced on Monday that the Resident Evil series has now sold 103 million units to date.

The next series instalment, Resident Evil Village, was revealed during a PlayStation 5 reveal event in June. The first-person title is planned for release on PC and next-gen consoles in 2021.

According to development sources, Capcom is planning to remake Resident Evil 4 via Osaka-based M-Two, the new studio founded by former PlatinumGames head Tatsuya Minami, which has been preparing for its development since 2018.