With the hardware market fiercely divided and videogame budgets swelling into the hundreds of millions, many publishers have been focussing on multiplatform development to maximise sales. Few, however, have done so as baldly as Capcom.
"All major titles launched during the next fiscal year or thereafter will be developed as multi-platform games," reads Capcom’s fiscal year 2008 shareholder report.
Many future projects, the report goes on, will be developed using the company’s in-house MT Framework technology, "an integrated development environment built to provide common development tools for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC platforms." The idea is to "to increase revenue and dramatically increase the number of users by launching, for example, Resident Evil 5 … Street Fighter IV … and Bionic Commando [on multiple platforms]."
Capcom has taken steps to reassure predictably infuriated console loyalists. "I think the materials pretty much speak for themselves and we’re continuing to support all consoles with appropriate content,” commented Christian Svensson, Capcom’s Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning.
“It just means things that in the past would have been timed exclusives to a single platform will no longer be exclusive to a single platform. It’s just better business decisions at play."
"I don’t think fans have anything to worry about," Svnesson breezed. "That said, I know nothing I say will keep people from freaking out, screaming ‘the sky is falling, OMG!’ So feel free to carry on assuming the worst. I suspect you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you do so."
You heard the man – assume away!