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Creative Report - Message from an External Director
The Head of Development
Discusses Strategy
Yoichi Egawa
Director and Executive Corporate Officer
In charge of Consumer Games Development and
Pachinko & Pachislo Business Divisions of the Company
Taking on the global market
as a Japanese hit maker armed
with world-class quality.
Aiming for sustainable growth
by creating and developing popular IPs
In the past three years of overseeing development, my goal has been to ensure the world’s highest quality, working under the philosophy of standing up and facing whatever may come. The missions we focused on achieving this fiscal year were (1) producing both world-class quality and profitability, (2) creating hit mobile titles, (3) supporting development in pursuing esports and a long-term sales model, and (4) strengthening network technology for multi- player competition and the like.
Regarding item (1), following Monster Hunter: World (MH:W), Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry 5 were also highly acclaimed. Our Mobile Department, which integrated in 2017, has taken the lead on (2), promoting development both within Capcom and with partner companies, and creating a foothold ahead of upcoming title releases. For (3), the Street Fighter League has begun and various esports activities are underway with Street Fighter V as the primary point of focus. In terms of long-term sales, we are building a track record of sustained sales with the growth of digital sales for MH:W, which achieved 12.4 million units cumulatively. Regarding (4), we are strengthening our technology, including boosting our pool of talent. The results of our efforts have contributed to two consecutive years of record high profits.
Going forward, in addition to traditional models, it will be important to work with diversified platforms, given the rise in cloud gaming service providers and the expansion of PC store channels. To that end, we are striving to establish a foundation and enhance and improve our network environment for these new services and next-generation game consoles.
IP creation and development are also consistently subjects of discussion, and we will continue to evolve to meet the players’ expectations.
In development, it is crucial that we not cut corners in our craftsmanship while maintaining strict control over expenses. We are constantly scrutinizing our work to safeguard against ineffectual investment, while at the same time analyzing the market as we look for new global opportunities.
Game development engines evolve in-step with games; maintaining an environment that enables the pinnacle of craftsmanship
One of Capcom’s greatest game development strengths is that we have a proprietary game development engine, the RE Engine. Because we can update specifications according to our titles’ evolving requirements, this toolset allows us to operate a flexible and effective work environment optimized for our games, while creating photorealistic graphics. In addition, we maintain world class, cutting- edge facilities and have been actively investing in our development equipment and R&D buildings. When creators and engineers team up in an environment such as this, they can achieve the highest quality in the world.
Assigning younger employees to work on popular IPs; carrying on Capcom’s tradition of craftsmanship
Since 2011, Capcom has hired more than 100 new graduates as developers each year with the aim of building an organization of 2,500 developers by 2021. In order for us to both pass down the DNA we have cultivated on 20- and even 30-year-old IPs to the next generation of creators, while at the same time providing a catalyst for the evolution of our technology and world-class development prowess through these same young developers, we deemed it necessary to focus on in-house development.
In training young employees, we sometimes assign them to development teams working on major IP, where they can grow while gaining experience and know-how right at the cutting edge of the industry. We have also established a system to train highly capable young employees under the supervision of a supportive team, with the aim of training them up to core member status, where they would then take the overall lead on their next assignment.
This is how the development mechanism we have cultivated and the intellect of the creators we have trained crystallize to generate games that delight players the world over. It is the very essence of Capcom’s craftsmanship.
Main Pipeline (Plan for Fiscal Years 2016-2019)
Excludes unannounced titles as of August 31, 2019
| Brand | Fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2018 |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 |
Fiscal year ending March 31, 2020 (plan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil |
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| Monster Hunter |
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| Street Fighter |
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| Devil May Cry |
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| Mega Man |
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| Total | 6 titles | 11 titles | 10 titles | Over 8 titles |
Notes 1. *Indicates rereleases for current generation game consoles 2. NSW: Nintendo Switch
