Capcom has admitted that the implementation of PlayStation VR support for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard resulted in increased development costs.
Speaking in an investor Q&A (via VideoGamer), the Japanese publisher said that increased graphical fidelity was an important factor in making VR happen for the survival horror sequel.
"Certain things were required in making the game VR-compatible, such as graphic needs that are more complex than before, thus there was an increase in development investment," said the company.
"We believe we have succeeded in optimizing our development process via fundamental technologies including our 3D scanning system, lighting and shading, which allowed us to minimize additional costs while achieving high-quality development."
Capcom has yet to divulged how much the game cost to develop, however.
Resident Evil 7 release date set for early next year
Resident Evil 7 is scheduled for release on PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One on January 24, 2017. The game was announced during Sony’s E3 2016 press event, where the company confirmed Resident Evil 7 VR support for those investing in the upcoming virtual reality headset.
The latest instalment in the 20-year-old franchise takes place following the events of Resident Evil 6, although it’ll feature a brand new protagonist and will take place from a first-person perspective. Capcom has said the game takes place in a rural area of the southern United States in and around a large plantation mansion.
Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour is now available to download for PlayStation Plus users, offer a tonal overview of the game. The teaser includes a host of secrets and multiple endings, although the infamous dummy finger still hasn’t been given a use as of yet.
As mentioned, the Resident Evil series marks its 20th anniversary this year, with the original game having debuted on PlayStation in Japan on March 22, 1996. Aside from the awful Umbrella Corps, Capcom is celebrating the milestone by re-releasing Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6 on PS4 and Xbox One.