Resi producer: Adult Wii games need ‘X-Factor’ to sell

Capcom's Kawata says Wii isn’t the easiest console to deal with.

Adult Wii games need an ‘X-Factor’ to sell, the producer of Resident Evil 5 and Wii exclusive Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles has said.

Following the relatively poor chart positions of high-profile Wii games The House of the Dead: Overkill, MadWord and No More Heroes, a perception has arisen that adult games struggle to sell on Nintendo’s family-centred console.

However, Capcom’s Resident Evil series has bucked the trend. Last year’s on-rails shooter Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles sold well enough to justify a sequel, Darkside Chronicles, due out this winter.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com, Capcom’s Masachika Kawata said that he considers positive sales for mature Wii games “a reward” for the effort the company puts into creating them.

“First of all I don’t think that Resident Evil was the only exception selling on Wii,” he said. “There are other hardcore titles, such as Call of Duty, which were quite successful on Wii as well. People get this perception that on Nintendo Wii all there is are cutesy games. However, when you actually try to develop a game on Wii it costs you money, it’s time consuming and it’s not the easiest console to deal with.

“We were serious about creating and developing this particular game, and therefore the fan will accept and recognise our effort. I’m considering it a reward for our effort if you like. And also, we were lucky that we’ve got the Resident Evil brand, which is well-known all around the world.”

He added: “There are good games that didn’t sell, obviously. You need an X-Factor. However, vice versa people won’t buy it if it’s not a good game.”

You’ll get everything you need from our Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles game page.

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