In an interview withEurogamer, Shinji Mikami, who directed bothDino Crisisand the originalResident Evil, showed surprise when he was told that there’s a demand for a new entry in theDino Crisisseries. He added that he doesn’t see where there’s space for it in the industry whileMonster Hunteris doing its thing.
Mikami is the developer often attributed with ‘inventing’ the survival horror genre through his work on theResident Evilfranchise. While he worked on the firstDino Crisisgame, Shu Takumi took over for the sequel, and the series all but died with the third mainline entry. In the interview, Mikami said, “I’m very surprised to hear that,” when asked about the possibility of another game in the beloved franchise, even though the game was the most voted for in a2024 Capcom survey.
This industry ain’t big enough for two dinosaur games
Mikami explained his thoughts on why a newDino Crisisgame wouldn’t work in the industry right now. He says, “I don’t really feel like there’s a whole lot of space for that kind of game right now, just sinceMonster Hunterhas become such a big game.”
It’s an interesting point of view, especially coming from such a games development veteran. I expect Mikami’s view is aided by his information on the development side, seeing which games are performing and how industry trends work. There’s also the elephant in the room that isExoprimal. That game was Capcom’s last foray with actual dinosaurs, and it didn’t take off as much as many believe it would have hoped.
It’s also true thatMonster Hunteras a series has adopted a huge fan base of millions of players thanks toMonster Hunter Worldand the upcomingMonster Hunter Wilds. These games offer expansive worlds with unique biomes and dozens of massive monsters to hunt. The fact that you can team up with other players, but the games don’t have the usual trappings of an MMO, makes them even better, in my opinion.
While Mikami’s statement isn’t concrete evidence that there will never be anotherDino Crisisgame, especially sinceCapcom asked players if they wanted one in the first place, it’s a sign that we should temper our expectations. At a point in time when developers are still making mass layoffs, it doesn’t make sense to take risks, and a new game in a series that debuted in 1999 is definitely a risk.
