Capcom Five
Encyclopedia
The Capcom Five is a set of five video games unveiled by Capcom
in late 2002 and subsequently published beginning in March 2003. At a time when Nintendo
's GameCube
console
failed to capture market share
, Capcom announced five new GameCube titles with the apparent goal of boosting hardware sales and showing off third-party developer support. Capcom USA followed up with confirmation that they would be exclusive
to the GameCube. The five games were P.N.03
, a futuristic third-person shooter
; Viewtiful Joe
, a side-scrolling
action
-platformer
; Dead Phoenix, a shoot 'em up
; Resident Evil 4
, a survival horror third-person shooter; and Killer7
, an action-adventure game
with first-person shooter
elements. Though not directly related to each other, they were all overseen by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami
and, excepting Killer7, developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4. Capcom USA later clarified that only Resident Evil 4 was intended to be exclusive; the initial announcement was due to a miscommunication with their parent company.
Of the five games, Dead Phoenix was canceled and only P.N.03 retained its status as a GameCube exclusive, though selling and reviewing poorly. Viewtiful Joe and Killer7 sold modestly but gained a significant cult following
, the latter launching the career of creator Suda51
. Resident Evil 4 was the runaway success of the five, though its GameCube sales were undercut by the announcement of a Sony
PlayStation 2
port
to be released later that year. Viewtiful Joe also saw a PlayStation 2 version with expanded features and Killer7 debuted on multiple platforms simultaneously. The Capcom Five case, particularly the loss of GameCube exclusivity for Resident Evil 4, was said to have soured Nintendo–Capcom relations for years to come. The series also represents another episode in Nintendo's ongoing quest for third-party developer support on a home console.
(NES) and Super Nintendo
(SNES) eras, Nintendo
and Capcom
enjoyed a close relationship, with Mega Man
being one of the NES' most prominent franchises. This closeness was partially due to Nintendo's monopoly
of the video game console
market, which allowed the company to force third-party developers to release exclusive content according to Nintendo's schedule. Sega
's Mega Drive would force Nintendo to relax some of its restrictions on third parties with respect to the SNES. However, relations with third-party developers reached a turning point when Nintendo decided to retain a proprietary cartridge-based format for the Nintendo 64
, in the face of Sony's disc-based PlayStation
. Because of increased manufacturing costs and severely limited cartridge memory capacity, many third parties including Capcom moved to the PlayStation to start new franchises, such as Resident Evil. On this new platform, developers could create bigger games while avoiding the restriction of ordering proprietary cartridges through Nintendo, which could lead to under- or over-stocking
inventory. This third party abandonment allowed the PlayStation to steal Nintendo's top spot.
With the GameCube
, Nintendo tried to reclaim third-party developers and catch up to Sony's PlayStation 2
by including disc-based media and powerful system hardware. However, in the first year since launch, Nintendo had only sold 4.7 million consoles. In this climate of flagging sales, Capcom held a surprise press conference in Japan in November 2002, announcing five new titles for the GameCube: P.N.03
, Viewtiful Joe
, Dead Phoenix, Resident Evil 4
, and Killer7
. Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami
would supervise all five games, which would be developed in-house by Capcom's Production Studio 4. The lone exception was Killer7, to be produced at Grasshopper Manufacture
, with Mikami as co-writer alongside director Suda51
. When pressed for comment on console exclusivity
, a Capcom USA representative confirmed the claim, generating the perception that Capcom was hoping to boost the GameCube's sales and reputation. A statement on their website echoed this support for GameCube. However, they soon issued a correction clarifying that only Resident Evil 4
would definitely be exclusive, the earlier announcement resulting from a miscommunication with the parent company.
is a science fiction
-themed third-person shooter
, the first of the five to be released in Japan on March 27, 2003. The game features a dexterous protagonist named Vanessa Z. Schneider battling an army of maverick robots. The game earned the name Jaguar during development due to Vanessa's fluid motions and agility. Acting as director, Mikami added defensive and evasive maneuvers in order to differentiate it from Devil May Cry
. Upon release, the game had underwhelming sales figures, selling only 10,000 copies in Japan and 13,000 in North America. Reviewers criticized the game's short length and sluggish controls, with an average score of 63 out of 100 on Metacritic
. Mikami was unsatisfied with the finished product, stating he had hoped to put "a lot more" time into its development. P.N.03 would turn out to be the only game of the five to remain a GameCube exclusive.
is a 2.5D
side-scrolling
action
-platformer
, the second game released on June 26, 2003. The title character
is a parody of tokusatsu
superheroes, trying to save his girlfriend, who has been trapped in "Movieland" by a group of supervillains known as Jadow. In order to complete his quest, Joe must use his Viewtiful Effects Powers, which are based on camera tricks and special effects used in films. These include "Slow", which simulates bullet time
; "Mach Speed", allowing Joe to attack all enemies with his afterimages; and "Zoom In", which triggers a camera close-up
and unlocks special attacks. Internally, Capcom treated the game as a "staff-focused project" with the goal of increasing the skills of director Hideki Kamiya
. The game achieved a Metacritic score of 93 and won GameCube Game of the Year
awards from numerous publications including IGN
, GMR
, and USA Today
. The game sold out its initial shipment of 100,000 to achieve a lifetime total of 275,000 units. Producer Atsushi Inaba
considered the game a success, achieving their goals of training staff, keeping a small budget, and selling well. However, these numbers were lower than Capcom expected, prompting the publisher to port
Viewtiful Joe to PlayStation 2 in 2004, with expanded features. This PlayStation 2 version ultimately sold 46,000 copies with a slightly lower Metacritic score of 90 due to lack of progressive scan
and slowdown difficulties from the porting process.
shoot 'em up
featuring a winged man named Phoenix. Based on trailer footage, IGN compared the gameplay to Panzer Dragoon
. Players would take control of a winged man as he flies around shooting massively larger enemies, with the aid of allies on foot. Capcom's announcement described the setting as a mythical floating city
, full of demons and dragons. Game Informer announced that a Japanese release was planned in mid-2003. The game was believe to be canceled, but Capcom stated at a press conference prior to the 2003 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) that it was still in development. IGN speculated that the game may have been retooled as a new Kid Icarus
title, based on Nintendo's recent trend of licensing properties to third parties. After failing to appear at E3 that year, however, it was canceled in August 2003.
, a survival horror third-person shooter
, premiered on January 11, 2005, in North America, with a Japanese release on January 27. Players take on the role of Leon S. Kennedy
, a United States Secret Service
agent who has been ordered to rescue the daughter of the President of the United States from a cult in rural hispanophone
Europe. The cult has been using a mind-controlling
parasite to turn local villagers into violent drones. The game went through numerous changes during its long development, with the team creating and discarding four older revisions before settling on the final product. Among those was a version directed by Hideki Kamiya which would be turned into the first Devil May Cry game. Taking over directorial duties, Mikami made the fifth and final version very different compared to previous Resident Evil games, with an over-the-shoulder perspective and an increased emphasis on action and combat. Resident Evil 4 was the only member of the five to remain confirmed as a GameCube exclusive; Mikami claimed that he would "cut off his own head" (a colloquialism
for quitting his job) if it were to be released on another platform. However, just two months before the game's January 2005 release, Capcom announced a PlayStation 2 port to be released nine months after the GameCube version in response to pressure from users and shareholders. This surprise announcement undercut the title's GameCube sales, which totaled 1.6 million, compared to the sales of the PlayStation 2 version, which exceeded 2 million. Despite these corporate conflicts, the game received an overwhelmingly positive critical response with Metacritic scores of 96 for both versions. It went on to sweep many Game of the Year
awards for 2005 and is consistently listed among the greatest games of all time.
, released on June 9, 2005, is an action-adventure game
with first-person shooter
elements and an unconventional "on rails
" control scheme. Unlike other members of the five, Killer7 was developed at Grasshopper Manufacture
under the direction of Suda51
. Players control the members of an elite group of assassins who are actually physical manifestations of a god-like being named Harman Smith. The game restricts the player's movement to specific branching paths through the environment and can only attack while stationary in first-person view. This stripped-down control scheme was implemented as a deconstruction
of how gamers play. Gameplay was not finalized until late in development since Suda51 concentrated most resources on story and visual work. This back-loading of development resulted in several delays, the last of which was due to an artistic desire to release the game on July 7 (7/7) in North America. Killer7 debuted as a multi-console release, the only one of the five to do so, to polarized reviews. Some reviewers praised the game for its complex noir
plot involving an political conflict between Japan and the US, while others panned it as confusing and incomprehensible. Likewise, the control scheme had both critics and proponents, the latter comparing it to Myst
, Snatcher
, and other "old-school" adventure game
s. Despite this mixed reception yielding a 74 Metacritic score, Killer7 was honored by many video game publications in their year-end awards. Common nominations included "Best Story", "Best Artistic Design", and "Most Innovative Design". However, the central theme was a recognition of Killer7s status as a cult game
with limited appeal. IGN named it "Best Game No One Played" and Kristan Reed of Eurogamer
called it "a concept game, an arthouse game, a simple game, an often beautiful game, but most certainly never an everyman's game". This sentiment is reflected in its sales numbers, moving only 16,000 copies its first month in North America for the GameCube version.
noted that despite best intentions, Capcom's five even at their full potential could not have made up for the GameCube's failings in that generation's console wars
.
Through this event, Capcom had learned a few lessons which it would apply in the coming years. The first they learned over the course of the five's release, namely to focus on multi-platform releases and avoid GameCube where possible. Second, they discovered that they needed to streamline development. Prior to the five, Capcom had announced expected losses of US$
103 million for fiscal year 2002, largely due to poor sales and extended development times, and ultimately posted over US$163 million in losses. Resident Evil 4 was a particularly notable example, beginning development in 1999 and going through four discarded versions by the time of its 2005 release. The third lesson was to focus on old franchises rather than create new ones; Resident Evil 4 was the only unmitigated commercial success of the five and also the only game based on an existing property. To wit, Viewtiful Joe 2
was started shortly after the release of Viewtiful Joe and completed just a year later. However, the brisk schedule meant that the team was not given time to implement all the features they had wanted including a cooperative gameplay
mode. Viewtiful Joe 2 debuted on both GameCube and PlayStation 2 in order to reach a wider audience and maximize profitability.
To facilitate Viewtiful Joe 2s development, Capcom spun out Clover Studio
, formed from members of "Team Viewtiful", as a semi-autonomous production studio with a focus on developing new intellectual properties
(IPs). The separation was also in part due to Resident Evil 4s PlayStation 2 release, which caused significant tensions between the Capcom and Mikami who had touted the game's exclusivity. Clover Studio was able to produce two more games in the Viewtiful Joe series, which serve as side-stories, and commissioned an anime adaptation
which was produced by Group TAC
. Clover's next big project was Ōkami
, a "brand-focused project" fitting with Capcom's goal for Clover to develop new IPs. Despite being a critical success, it failed to live up to Capcom's sales expectations, with Clover's next project God Hand
doing even worse. Compounding this problem, Clover's developers still felt stifled under the weight of Capcom's corporate management, who were reluctant or actively opposed to risky new ideas. Inevitably, Capcom shut down Clover Studio in late 2006, following the resignations of Atsushi Inaba
, Hideki Kamiya
, and Shinji Mikami
. They would go on to found Platinum Games with members of their old studio. In 2008, they announced the "Platinum Three", referring to MadWorld
, Infinite Space
, and Bayonetta
, which would attempt to carry on the Capcom Five's ambitious and creative original spirit. These resignations were part of a series of high-profile departures from Capcom, including Yoshiki Okamoto
in 2003 and Keiji Inafune
in 2010. Inafune complained of similar problems as Inaba, Kamiya, and Mikami, namely that Capcom management had a rule dictating that at least 70-80% of all new projects must be sequels of existing properties, with the actual number being very close to 100% at any given time.
Outside of Capcom, Killer7 served as a turning point for Suda51
and his studio, Grasshopper Manufacture
, effectively launching his career. With Capcom as publisher, Killer7 was Suda51's first game to be released outside Japan. While its sales were not up to Capcom's standards, the game's cult success encouraged Suda51 to remake some of his older Japan-only games, The Silver Case
and Flower, Sun, and Rain
, for Western release. It also allowed his next major title, No More Heroes
, to be released to both critical and commercial success. The game also cemented Suda51's status as an auteur
video game director. Suda51 would later work with Shinji Mikami again on Shadows of the Damned
.
Despite the relative failure of the project as a whole, the individual games of the Capcom Five had a lasting impact on game design. After experimenting with action gameplay in P.N.03, Mikami was able to apply his experience to Resident Evil 4 with "The Mercenaries", an arcade-style monster-slaying minigame
whose objective is to score points through combos within a time limit. On the other hand, Adam Sorice of Nintendojo
has suggested that P.N.03s stereotypical portrayal of women had unfortunate implications for gender equality in gaming. He also suggested that the commercial failure of P.N.03 has made Capcom reluctant to feature strong female protagonists in their games. With Resident Evil 4, beyond its critical success, the game has become one of the most influential games of the decade. Its "over-the-shoulder" perspective has inspired third-person shooters and action games as diverse as Gears of War
and Batman: Arkham Asylum
. Leon's precision-aiming laser sight has also found its way into Dead Space
and Grand Theft Auto
, as an alternative to "lock-on" targeting. On a broader scale, Resident Evil 4 deconstructed the survival horror conventions the first Resident Evil games established. With its increased emphasis on action and combat, some reviewers accused the game of abandoning the genre's essence. Following Resident Evil 4s lead, many "horror" games in the next few years would shift toward more combat-heavy gameplay, including Silent Hill: Homecoming and Alone in the Dark.
For Nintendo, Capcom's reversal on GameCube exclusivity, particularly with Resident Evil 4, was a betrayal that soured relations between the two companies for several years. After this early pulling of Capcom support, the GameCube went on to sell 22 million units, less than the Nintendo 64
's 33 million units and a far cry from the PlayStation 2's 150 million units. Though Resident Evil 4 was eventually ported to Nintendo Wii
in 2007, it also received a high-definition
re-release
for PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
in 2011. Nintendo opted not to include a character from Capcom in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
as a direct result of Capcom's breaking of exclusivity, despite featuring characters from rival third parties Konami
and Sega
. With the Wii, Nintendo has been commercially successful in spite of its continued lack of third-party developer support. The Wii had mostly relied on first-party titles to move systems until 2009 when in-house development could not keep up with demand for new material, causing sales to drop and prompting a shift toward more aggressive third party campaigning. With the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
, Nintendo has attempted to recruit outside developers early on to avoid a repeat of what happened with the Wii and reclaim the third party support it enjoyed in the 8- and 16-bit eras.
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
in late 2002 and subsequently published beginning in March 2003. At a time when Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
failed to capture market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
, Capcom announced five new GameCube titles with the apparent goal of boosting hardware sales and showing off third-party developer support. Capcom USA followed up with confirmation that they would be exclusive
Console exclusivity
Console exclusivity refers to the status of a video game being released on only one video game console. Console exclusivity is a topic which is utilized in discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of rival firms in the video game market, and one which is used for marketing by firms involved...
to the GameCube. The five games were P.N.03
P.N.03
P.N.03, short for Product Number Zero Three, is a 2003 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo GameCube. Its protagonist, a mercenary named Vanessa Z. Schneider, fights an army of berserk robots in a space colony compound...
, a futuristic third-person shooter
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
; Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful Joe
is a video game developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4 for the Nintendo GameCube. It was originally released in 2003 as a part of the Capcom Five under director Hideki Kamiya and producer Atsushi Inaba. Viewtiful Joe was later ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 by the same design team under the...
, a side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
-platformer
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
; Dead Phoenix, a shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
; Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
, a survival horror third-person shooter; and Killer7
Killer7
is an action-adventure video game for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. It was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Capcom. The game was written and directed by Goichi Suda, also known by the nickname Suda51, and produced by Hiroyuki Kobayashi...
, an action-adventure game
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
with first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
elements. Though not directly related to each other, they were all overseen by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami
Shinji Mikami
is a Japanese video game designer best known for creating the seminal survival horror series Resident Evil. He also contributed to some of Capcom's most popular post-32-bit era franchises, including Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, and Ace Attorney, where he served as an executive producer...
and, excepting Killer7, developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4. Capcom USA later clarified that only Resident Evil 4 was intended to be exclusive; the initial announcement was due to a miscommunication with their parent company.
Of the five games, Dead Phoenix was canceled and only P.N.03 retained its status as a GameCube exclusive, though selling and reviewing poorly. Viewtiful Joe and Killer7 sold modestly but gained a significant cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
, the latter launching the career of creator Suda51
Goichi Suda
, is the CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture. The "51" in his nickname, Suda51, is a pun on his given name. In Japanese, "Go" means 5 and "ichi" means 1. His works include Moonlight Syndrome, The Silver Case, Flower, Sun and Rain, Michigan, killer7, the No More Heroes series, and most recently, Shadows...
. Resident Evil 4 was the runaway success of the five, though its GameCube sales were undercut by the announcement of a Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to be released later that year. Viewtiful Joe also saw a PlayStation 2 version with expanded features and Killer7 debuted on multiple platforms simultaneously. The Capcom Five case, particularly the loss of GameCube exclusivity for Resident Evil 4, was said to have soured Nintendo–Capcom relations for years to come. The series also represents another episode in Nintendo's ongoing quest for third-party developer support on a home console.
Background
During the Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(NES) and Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
(SNES) eras, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
enjoyed a close relationship, with Mega Man
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
being one of the NES' most prominent franchises. This closeness was partially due to Nintendo's monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
of the video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
market, which allowed the company to force third-party developers to release exclusive content according to Nintendo's schedule. Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Mega Drive would force Nintendo to relax some of its restrictions on third parties with respect to the SNES. However, relations with third-party developers reached a turning point when Nintendo decided to retain a proprietary cartridge-based format for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, in the face of Sony's disc-based PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
. Because of increased manufacturing costs and severely limited cartridge memory capacity, many third parties including Capcom moved to the PlayStation to start new franchises, such as Resident Evil. On this new platform, developers could create bigger games while avoiding the restriction of ordering proprietary cartridges through Nintendo, which could lead to under- or over-stocking
Excess inventory
Overstock, Excessive stock, or excess inventory, is the result of poor management of stock demand or of material flow in process management. Excessive stock is also associated with loss of revenue owing to additional capital bound with the purchase or simply storage space taken...
inventory. This third party abandonment allowed the PlayStation to steal Nintendo's top spot.
With the GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, Nintendo tried to reclaim third-party developers and catch up to Sony's PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
by including disc-based media and powerful system hardware. However, in the first year since launch, Nintendo had only sold 4.7 million consoles. In this climate of flagging sales, Capcom held a surprise press conference in Japan in November 2002, announcing five new titles for the GameCube: P.N.03
P.N.03
P.N.03, short for Product Number Zero Three, is a 2003 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo GameCube. Its protagonist, a mercenary named Vanessa Z. Schneider, fights an army of berserk robots in a space colony compound...
, Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful Joe
is a video game developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4 for the Nintendo GameCube. It was originally released in 2003 as a part of the Capcom Five under director Hideki Kamiya and producer Atsushi Inaba. Viewtiful Joe was later ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 by the same design team under the...
, Dead Phoenix, Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
, and Killer7
Killer7
is an action-adventure video game for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. It was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Capcom. The game was written and directed by Goichi Suda, also known by the nickname Suda51, and produced by Hiroyuki Kobayashi...
. Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami
Shinji Mikami
is a Japanese video game designer best known for creating the seminal survival horror series Resident Evil. He also contributed to some of Capcom's most popular post-32-bit era franchises, including Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, and Ace Attorney, where he served as an executive producer...
would supervise all five games, which would be developed in-house by Capcom's Production Studio 4. The lone exception was Killer7, to be produced at Grasshopper Manufacture
Grasshopper Manufacture
Grasshopper Manufacture, Inc. is a Japanese video game development house founded on March 30, 1998 in Suginami, Japan. Grasshopper gained mainstream attention in 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 game Killer7...
, with Mikami as co-writer alongside director Suda51
Goichi Suda
, is the CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture. The "51" in his nickname, Suda51, is a pun on his given name. In Japanese, "Go" means 5 and "ichi" means 1. His works include Moonlight Syndrome, The Silver Case, Flower, Sun and Rain, Michigan, killer7, the No More Heroes series, and most recently, Shadows...
. When pressed for comment on console exclusivity
Console exclusivity
Console exclusivity refers to the status of a video game being released on only one video game console. Console exclusivity is a topic which is utilized in discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of rival firms in the video game market, and one which is used for marketing by firms involved...
, a Capcom USA representative confirmed the claim, generating the perception that Capcom was hoping to boost the GameCube's sales and reputation. A statement on their website echoed this support for GameCube. However, they soon issued a correction clarifying that only Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
would definitely be exclusive, the earlier announcement resulting from a miscommunication with the parent company.
P.N.03
P.N.03P.N.03
P.N.03, short for Product Number Zero Three, is a 2003 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo GameCube. Its protagonist, a mercenary named Vanessa Z. Schneider, fights an army of berserk robots in a space colony compound...
is a science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
-themed third-person shooter
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
, the first of the five to be released in Japan on March 27, 2003. The game features a dexterous protagonist named Vanessa Z. Schneider battling an army of maverick robots. The game earned the name Jaguar during development due to Vanessa's fluid motions and agility. Acting as director, Mikami added defensive and evasive maneuvers in order to differentiate it from Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry
is an action game developed and published by Capcom, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. Although it is the first game in the series of the same name, the events in Devil May Cry are second in the series storyline's chronological order, taking place after Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and...
. Upon release, the game had underwhelming sales figures, selling only 10,000 copies in Japan and 13,000 in North America. Reviewers criticized the game's short length and sluggish controls, with an average score of 63 out of 100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Mikami was unsatisfied with the finished product, stating he had hoped to put "a lot more" time into its development. P.N.03 would turn out to be the only game of the five to remain a GameCube exclusive.
Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful JoeViewtiful Joe
is a video game developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4 for the Nintendo GameCube. It was originally released in 2003 as a part of the Capcom Five under director Hideki Kamiya and producer Atsushi Inaba. Viewtiful Joe was later ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 by the same design team under the...
is a 2.5D
2.5D
2.5D , 3/4 perspective and pseudo-3D are terms used to describe either:* 2D graphical projections and techniques which cause a series of images or scenes to fake or appear to be three-dimensional when in fact they are not, or* gameplay in an otherwise three-dimensional video game that is...
side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
-platformer
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
, the second game released on June 26, 2003. The title character
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
is a parody of tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
superheroes, trying to save his girlfriend, who has been trapped in "Movieland" by a group of supervillains known as Jadow. In order to complete his quest, Joe must use his Viewtiful Effects Powers, which are based on camera tricks and special effects used in films. These include "Slow", which simulates bullet time
Bullet time
Bullet time is a special and visual effect that refers to a digitally enhanced simulation of variable-speed photography used in films, broadcast advertisements, and video games...
; "Mach Speed", allowing Joe to attack all enemies with his afterimages; and "Zoom In", which triggers a camera close-up
Close-up
In filmmaking, television production, still photography and the comic strip medium a close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots . Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene...
and unlocks special attacks. Internally, Capcom treated the game as a "staff-focused project" with the goal of increasing the skills of director Hideki Kamiya
Hideki Kamiya
is a video game designer formerly employed by Capcom and Clover Studio. He is currently working with former Clover Studio members at Platinum Games.- Career :...
. The game achieved a Metacritic score of 93 and won GameCube Game of the Year
Game of the Year
Game of the Year is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many are only for PC or console video games...
awards from numerous publications including IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, GMR
GMR (magazine)
GMR was a monthly magazine on video games that was published by Ziff-Davis — the publisher of such magazines as PC Magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and Computer Gaming World . GMR was launched in February 2003, being sold in only the Electronics Boutique chain of video game stores...
, and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. The game sold out its initial shipment of 100,000 to achieve a lifetime total of 275,000 units. Producer Atsushi Inaba
Atsushi Inaba
is a Japanese video game producer for Platinum Games. He is also the former CEO and producer of the Capcom subsidiary Clover Studio, best known as the creative force behind Viewtiful Joe, Ōkami and God Hand.-Career:...
considered the game a success, achieving their goals of training staff, keeping a small budget, and selling well. However, these numbers were lower than Capcom expected, prompting the publisher to port
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
Viewtiful Joe to PlayStation 2 in 2004, with expanded features. This PlayStation 2 version ultimately sold 46,000 copies with a slightly lower Metacritic score of 90 due to lack of progressive scan
Progressive scan
Progressive scanning is a way of displaying, storing, or transmitting moving images in which all the lines of each frame are drawn in sequence...
and slowdown difficulties from the porting process.
Dead Phoenix
Dead Phoenix was to be a 3D3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
featuring a winged man named Phoenix. Based on trailer footage, IGN compared the gameplay to Panzer Dragoon
Panzer Dragoon
is a rail shooter video game released for the Sega Saturn in 1995; and later released on PC, PlayStation 2, and as a bonus in its sequel Panzer Dragoon Orta for Xbox...
. Players would take control of a winged man as he flies around shooting massively larger enemies, with the aid of allies on foot. Capcom's announcement described the setting as a mythical floating city
Floating city (science fiction)
In science fiction, floating cities are settlements that strictly use buoyancy to remain in the atmosphere of a planet. However the term generally refers to any city that is flying, hovering, or otherwise suspended in the air via any means technological or even magical.-Earth:In Jonathan Swift's...
, full of demons and dragons. Game Informer announced that a Japanese release was planned in mid-2003. The game was believe to be canceled, but Capcom stated at a press conference prior to the 2003 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) that it was still in development. IGN speculated that the game may have been retooled as a new Kid Icarus
Kid Icarus
Kid Icarus, known as in Japan, is an action platform video game for the Famicom Disk System in Japan and the Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe and North America. The first entry in Nintendo's Kid Icarus series, it was published in Japan in December 1986, and in Europe and North America in...
title, based on Nintendo's recent trend of licensing properties to third parties. After failing to appear at E3 that year, however, it was canceled in August 2003.
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
, a survival horror third-person shooter
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
, premiered on January 11, 2005, in North America, with a Japanese release on January 27. Players take on the role of Leon S. Kennedy
Leon S. Kennedy
is a player character appearing in the Resident Evil series of survival horror video games. Leon is a protagonist in Resident Evil 2 and the main protagonist of Resident Evil 4. During the events of RE2, Leon is a new police officer who arrives in Raccoon City late for his first day on the job,...
, a United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
agent who has been ordered to rescue the daughter of the President of the United States from a cult in rural hispanophone
Hispanophone
Hispanophone or Hispanosphere denotes Spanish language speakers and the Spanish-speaking world. The word derives from the Latin political name of the Iberian Peninsula, Hispania, which comprised basically the territory of the modern states of Spain and Portugal.Hispanophones are estimated at...
Europe. The cult has been using a mind-controlling
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
parasite to turn local villagers into violent drones. The game went through numerous changes during its long development, with the team creating and discarding four older revisions before settling on the final product. Among those was a version directed by Hideki Kamiya which would be turned into the first Devil May Cry game. Taking over directorial duties, Mikami made the fifth and final version very different compared to previous Resident Evil games, with an over-the-shoulder perspective and an increased emphasis on action and combat. Resident Evil 4 was the only member of the five to remain confirmed as a GameCube exclusive; Mikami claimed that he would "cut off his own head" (a colloquialism
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
for quitting his job) if it were to be released on another platform. However, just two months before the game's January 2005 release, Capcom announced a PlayStation 2 port to be released nine months after the GameCube version in response to pressure from users and shareholders. This surprise announcement undercut the title's GameCube sales, which totaled 1.6 million, compared to the sales of the PlayStation 2 version, which exceeded 2 million. Despite these corporate conflicts, the game received an overwhelmingly positive critical response with Metacritic scores of 96 for both versions. It went on to sweep many Game of the Year
Game of the Year
Game of the Year is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many are only for PC or console video games...
awards for 2005 and is consistently listed among the greatest games of all time.
Killer7
Killer7Killer7
is an action-adventure video game for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. It was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Capcom. The game was written and directed by Goichi Suda, also known by the nickname Suda51, and produced by Hiroyuki Kobayashi...
, released on June 9, 2005, is an action-adventure game
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
with first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
elements and an unconventional "on rails
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
" control scheme. Unlike other members of the five, Killer7 was developed at Grasshopper Manufacture
Grasshopper Manufacture
Grasshopper Manufacture, Inc. is a Japanese video game development house founded on March 30, 1998 in Suginami, Japan. Grasshopper gained mainstream attention in 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 game Killer7...
under the direction of Suda51
Goichi Suda
, is the CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture. The "51" in his nickname, Suda51, is a pun on his given name. In Japanese, "Go" means 5 and "ichi" means 1. His works include Moonlight Syndrome, The Silver Case, Flower, Sun and Rain, Michigan, killer7, the No More Heroes series, and most recently, Shadows...
. Players control the members of an elite group of assassins who are actually physical manifestations of a god-like being named Harman Smith. The game restricts the player's movement to specific branching paths through the environment and can only attack while stationary in first-person view. This stripped-down control scheme was implemented as a deconstruction
Deconstruction
Deconstruction is a term introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his 1967 book Of Grammatology. Although he carefully avoided defining the term directly, he sought to apply Martin Heidegger's concept of Destruktion or Abbau, to textual reading...
of how gamers play. Gameplay was not finalized until late in development since Suda51 concentrated most resources on story and visual work. This back-loading of development resulted in several delays, the last of which was due to an artistic desire to release the game on July 7 (7/7) in North America. Killer7 debuted as a multi-console release, the only one of the five to do so, to polarized reviews. Some reviewers praised the game for its complex noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
plot involving an political conflict between Japan and the US, while others panned it as confusing and incomprehensible. Likewise, the control scheme had both critics and proponents, the latter comparing it to Myst
Myst
Myst is a graphic adventure video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. It was developed by Cyan , a Spokane, Washington––based studio, and published and distributed by Brøderbund. The Millers began working on Myst in and released it for the Mac OS computer on September...
, Snatcher
Snatcher
is a cyberpunk-themed graphic adventure game produced by Konami, originally released in Japan for the NEC PC-8801 and MSX 2 computer platforms in 1988. It was followed by a CD-ROM-based remake released for the PC Engine video game console in 1992, which was subsequently ported and localized into...
, and other "old-school" adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s. Despite this mixed reception yielding a 74 Metacritic score, Killer7 was honored by many video game publications in their year-end awards. Common nominations included "Best Story", "Best Artistic Design", and "Most Innovative Design". However, the central theme was a recognition of Killer7s status as a cult game
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
with limited appeal. IGN named it "Best Game No One Played" and Kristan Reed of Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
called it "a concept game, an arthouse game, a simple game, an often beautiful game, but most certainly never an everyman's game". This sentiment is reflected in its sales numbers, moving only 16,000 copies its first month in North America for the GameCube version.
Legacy
The Capcom Five announcement came at a time when Nintendo had been struggling with its new console, with the apparent goal of supporting the fledgling system. However, with each successive game's release, Capcom realized the GameCube's improfitability and ported the games one by one to Sony's PlayStation 2. These ports were generally inferior in quality, with many reviewers noting slowdown issues and lower resolution graphics. Ultimately, only four games were released and only one would remain exclusive to GameCube. This lone GameCube exclusive was P.N.03 and not Resident Evil 4 as Capcom had repeatedly emphasized in press releases. The whole incident was a blow to GameCube owners and Nintendo fans who had seen the Capcom Five as a promise of things to come for the faltering console. Luke Plunkett of KotakuKotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
noted that despite best intentions, Capcom's five even at their full potential could not have made up for the GameCube's failings in that generation's console wars
Console wars
"Console wars", also known as "System wars" is a term used to refer to periods of intense competition for market share between video game console manufacturers. The winners of these "wars" may be debated based on different standards: market penetration and financial success, or the fierce loyalty...
.
Through this event, Capcom had learned a few lessons which it would apply in the coming years. The first they learned over the course of the five's release, namely to focus on multi-platform releases and avoid GameCube where possible. Second, they discovered that they needed to streamline development. Prior to the five, Capcom had announced expected losses of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
103 million for fiscal year 2002, largely due to poor sales and extended development times, and ultimately posted over US$163 million in losses. Resident Evil 4 was a particularly notable example, beginning development in 1999 and going through four discarded versions by the time of its 2005 release. The third lesson was to focus on old franchises rather than create new ones; Resident Evil 4 was the only unmitigated commercial success of the five and also the only game based on an existing property. To wit, Viewtiful Joe 2
Viewtiful Joe 2
Viewtiful Joe 2, known in Japan as , is a video game and sequel to Viewtiful Joe. The game was developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom in 2004 for GameCube and PlayStation 2 . The game's story begins precisely where the original Viewtiful Joe left off, with the beginning of an alien...
was started shortly after the release of Viewtiful Joe and completed just a year later. However, the brisk schedule meant that the team was not given time to implement all the features they had wanted including a cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
mode. Viewtiful Joe 2 debuted on both GameCube and PlayStation 2 in order to reach a wider audience and maximize profitability.
To facilitate Viewtiful Joe 2s development, Capcom spun out Clover Studio
Clover Studio
Clover Studio was an independent Japanese development studio, funded by Capcom Japan. Clover Studio developed the PlayStation 2 port of Viewtiful Joe, both versions of Viewtiful Joe 2 for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2, and the PlayStation 2 titles Ōkami and God Hand...
, formed from members of "Team Viewtiful", as a semi-autonomous production studio with a focus on developing new intellectual properties
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
(IPs). The separation was also in part due to Resident Evil 4s PlayStation 2 release, which caused significant tensions between the Capcom and Mikami who had touted the game's exclusivity. Clover Studio was able to produce two more games in the Viewtiful Joe series, which serve as side-stories, and commissioned an anime adaptation
Viewtiful Joe (anime)
is a Japanese anime series based on the video game series of the same name.The series follows a similar plot of the games, but there are many differences. The series, comprising fifty-one episodes, was shown every Saturday on the Japanese television station TV Tokyo from October 2, 2004 until...
which was produced by Group TAC
Group TAC
Group TAC was a Japanese animation and computer graphics studio located in Shibuya, Tokyo, and founded in 1968. They have worked on movies, videos, TV shows, and commercials, and have contributed to all stages of the process, including planning, production, sound effects, and so on...
. Clover's next big project was Ōkami
Okami
is an action-adventure video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released for Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console in 2006 in Japan and North America, and 2007 in Europe and Australia...
, a "brand-focused project" fitting with Capcom's goal for Clover to develop new IPs. Despite being a critical success, it failed to live up to Capcom's sales expectations, with Clover's next project God Hand
God Hand
God Hand is a 2006 PlayStation 2 gameGod hand may also refer to:-Video games:* Ken "Godhand" Mishima, a character from the PlayStation game, Ehrgeiz* Godhand, the demonic version of Lenny from Shadow Hearts: Covenant...
doing even worse. Compounding this problem, Clover's developers still felt stifled under the weight of Capcom's corporate management, who were reluctant or actively opposed to risky new ideas. Inevitably, Capcom shut down Clover Studio in late 2006, following the resignations of Atsushi Inaba
Atsushi Inaba
is a Japanese video game producer for Platinum Games. He is also the former CEO and producer of the Capcom subsidiary Clover Studio, best known as the creative force behind Viewtiful Joe, Ōkami and God Hand.-Career:...
, Hideki Kamiya
Hideki Kamiya
is a video game designer formerly employed by Capcom and Clover Studio. He is currently working with former Clover Studio members at Platinum Games.- Career :...
, and Shinji Mikami
Shinji Mikami
is a Japanese video game designer best known for creating the seminal survival horror series Resident Evil. He also contributed to some of Capcom's most popular post-32-bit era franchises, including Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, and Ace Attorney, where he served as an executive producer...
. They would go on to found Platinum Games with members of their old studio. In 2008, they announced the "Platinum Three", referring to MadWorld
MadWorld
is a video game developed by Platinum Games and published by Sega. It was released for the Wii on March 10, 2009 in North America, on March 20 in Europe, March 26 in Australia, and February 10 in Japan...
, Infinite Space
Infinite Space
, initially announced as "Infinite Line",. is a science-fiction role-playing game developed by Nude Maker and Platinum Games for the Nintendo DS. It was the third of a four game publishing deal with Sega...
, and Bayonetta
Bayonetta
is a hack and slash action game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 developed by Platinum Games in cooperation with publisher Sega. Set in a fictional city in Europe, the game centers on its title character, Bayonetta, who uses pistols and magical attacks to defeat enemies...
, which would attempt to carry on the Capcom Five's ambitious and creative original spirit. These resignations were part of a series of high-profile departures from Capcom, including Yoshiki Okamoto
Yoshiki Okamoto
Yoshiki Okamoto , sometimes credited as Kihaji Okamoto, is a video game designer credited with producing many popular titles for Konami, including Gyruss and Time Pilot, and Capcom, including Final Fight and Street Fighter II...
in 2003 and Keiji Inafune
Keiji Inafune
is a video game producer and illustrator. He was the former head of Research & Development and Online Business and Global Head of Production at Capcom, best known as the illustrator and co-designer of the character Mega Man, as well as the producer of the Onimusha and Dead Rising video game series...
in 2010. Inafune complained of similar problems as Inaba, Kamiya, and Mikami, namely that Capcom management had a rule dictating that at least 70-80% of all new projects must be sequels of existing properties, with the actual number being very close to 100% at any given time.
Outside of Capcom, Killer7 served as a turning point for Suda51
Goichi Suda
, is the CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture. The "51" in his nickname, Suda51, is a pun on his given name. In Japanese, "Go" means 5 and "ichi" means 1. His works include Moonlight Syndrome, The Silver Case, Flower, Sun and Rain, Michigan, killer7, the No More Heroes series, and most recently, Shadows...
and his studio, Grasshopper Manufacture
Grasshopper Manufacture
Grasshopper Manufacture, Inc. is a Japanese video game development house founded on March 30, 1998 in Suginami, Japan. Grasshopper gained mainstream attention in 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 game Killer7...
, effectively launching his career. With Capcom as publisher, Killer7 was Suda51's first game to be released outside Japan. While its sales were not up to Capcom's standards, the game's cult success encouraged Suda51 to remake some of his older Japan-only games, The Silver Case
The Silver Case
is a video game developed by Goichi Suda for Grasshopper Manufacture. The game was originally released only in Japan for the PlayStation, although a planned worldwide re-release for the Nintendo DS is currently in development.-Gameplay:...
and Flower, Sun, and Rain
Flower, Sun, and Rain
is a video game developed by Goichi Suda for Grasshopper Manufacture. The game was initially released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan on May 2, 2001, while an enhanced Nintendo DS remake entitled Flower, Sun, and Rain: Murder and Mystery in Paradise was released in Japan on March 6, 2008, Europe on...
, for Western release. It also allowed his next major title, No More Heroes
No More Heroes (video game)
, is an action video game for the Wii video game system. It was directed by Goichi Suda , developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Marvelous Entertainment Inc., Ubisoft and Rising Star Games...
, to be released to both critical and commercial success. The game also cemented Suda51's status as an auteur
Auteur theory
In film criticism, auteur theory holds that a director's film reflects the director's personal creative vision, as if they were the primary "auteur"...
video game director. Suda51 would later work with Shinji Mikami again on Shadows of the Damned
Shadows of the Damned
Shadows of the Damned, officially abbreviated as Damned or DMD, is a 2011 third-person shooter video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles. The game follows the story of Garcia Hotspur, a Mexican demon...
.
Despite the relative failure of the project as a whole, the individual games of the Capcom Five had a lasting impact on game design. After experimenting with action gameplay in P.N.03, Mikami was able to apply his experience to Resident Evil 4 with "The Mercenaries", an arcade-style monster-slaying minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
whose objective is to score points through combos within a time limit. On the other hand, Adam Sorice of Nintendojo
Nintendojo
Nintendojo is a non-profit website that focuses on Nintendo-related subject matter, created and run by fans. Nintendojo is the oldest Nintendo-specific fansite still in existence, having been founded by Peer Schneider in September 1996...
has suggested that P.N.03s stereotypical portrayal of women had unfortunate implications for gender equality in gaming. He also suggested that the commercial failure of P.N.03 has made Capcom reluctant to feature strong female protagonists in their games. With Resident Evil 4, beyond its critical success, the game has become one of the most influential games of the decade. Its "over-the-shoulder" perspective has inspired third-person shooters and action games as diverse as Gears of War
Gears of War (series)
Gears of War is a science fiction video game franchise created and owned by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Studios. The three games that currently make up the series take place on the fictional planet Sera and focus on a war between humans and creatures known as Locust...
and Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Asylum is a 2009 action-adventure stealth video game based on DC Comics' Batman developed for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. It was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment...
. Leon's precision-aiming laser sight has also found its way into Dead Space
Dead Space (series)
Dead Space is a media franchise created by Glen Schofield, developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. The franchise centers on a series of video games of the survival horror and third-person shooter genres, and also includes two motion pictures and a comic book series, with more...
and Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
, as an alternative to "lock-on" targeting. On a broader scale, Resident Evil 4 deconstructed the survival horror conventions the first Resident Evil games established. With its increased emphasis on action and combat, some reviewers accused the game of abandoning the genre's essence. Following Resident Evil 4s lead, many "horror" games in the next few years would shift toward more combat-heavy gameplay, including Silent Hill: Homecoming and Alone in the Dark.
For Nintendo, Capcom's reversal on GameCube exclusivity, particularly with Resident Evil 4, was a betrayal that soured relations between the two companies for several years. After this early pulling of Capcom support, the GameCube went on to sell 22 million units, less than the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
's 33 million units and a far cry from the PlayStation 2's 150 million units. Though Resident Evil 4 was eventually ported to Nintendo Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
in 2007, it also received a high-definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
re-release
Classics HD
Sony's High-definition remasters are a series of video games originally released on the PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable video game consoles, re-released for Sony's PlayStation 3 and Playstation Vita. A number of related programs exist, the most prominent two being "Classics HD" and "PSP...
for PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
in 2011. Nintendo opted not to include a character from Capcom in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
as a direct result of Capcom's breaking of exclusivity, despite featuring characters from rival third parties Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
and Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. With the Wii, Nintendo has been commercially successful in spite of its continued lack of third-party developer support. The Wii had mostly relied on first-party titles to move systems until 2009 when in-house development could not keep up with demand for new material, causing sales to drop and prompting a shift toward more aggressive third party campaigning. With the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
, Nintendo has attempted to recruit outside developers early on to avoid a repeat of what happened with the Wii and reclaim the third party support it enjoyed in the 8- and 16-bit eras.