Capcom’s head of Research & Development Keiji Inafune has divulged some juicy tidbits on upcoming zombie sequel Dead Rising 2, discussing the game’s setting as well as the firm’s decision to pass the reigns over to western developer Blue Castle Games.
"We’re working on a setting which I think will be even more impressive than the mall from Dead Rising," Inafune said on a recent podcast. "We are creating a casino-themed setting for our game. We want to see what happens when zombies are set loose on this adult playground."
Regarding the switch to a western studio, Inafune revealed that the choice was down to him acknowledging "certain limitations that we ran into simply because we came at the game from a single Japanese perspective."
As a result of this realisation, the decision to opt for Blue Castle Games boiled down to the fact "They showed me they were serious about creating a game that would keep that Capcom spice intact." However, Infaune was keen to note that members of the original Dead Rising frequently converse with the team at Blue Castle via video conferences on a weekly basis.
The Lost Planet producer was also quick to acknowledge a certain “phobia” among Japanese punters in regards to western-developed games, but remained hopeful gamers would eventually embrace such talent.
"Many Japanese gamers almost have a kind of Western game phobia and I think this kind of design methodology will give them enough mixture of west and east for them to appreciate. I think there’s no denying it,” he said.
"Western games are here to stay so Japanese gamers are going to eventually need to get behind this trend."
Dead Rising 2 is due for release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.