Capcom is having one of the best years of its history. The renowned Japanese developer and publisher has not only delivered three incredibly successful titles this year, but it’s also gearing up to unveil an unannounced game, which it firmly believes will be a money maker.
According to Bloomberg’s Takashi Mochizuki, Capcom plans to launch an unannounced game before the current fiscal year ends on March 31 next year, expecting it to be a huge success with “millions” of sales. This news comes from the company’s latest earnings call, in which it was revealed that the recently acquired Swordcanes Studio has a workforce of 22 employees, mainly animators.
Swordcanes Studio is best known for its work on Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XVI, and Capcom’s latest release, Street Fighter 6. This not only shows that they know what they’re doing, but that they have an existing relationship with Capcom.
Although Mochizuki’s tweet does not explicitly confirm the studio’s involvement in the unannounced project, fans are speculating that the upcoming title could possibly belong to either the Monster Hunter series or the Ace Attorney franchise. However, considering certain aspects, the likelihood of the game being the latter appears quite slim.
First, Capcom already has plans to release the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy collection for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC early next year. This remastered collection includes Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destines, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice. How could an unannounced title fit in this schedule?
Second, the Ace Attorney franchise, while beloved, doesn’t reach the sales heights of other Capcom franchises. As of 2022, it had sold 9.8 million copies globally, whereas Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Street Fighter sold 142 million, 90 million, and 50 million copies, respectively.
Based on deduction, we can speculate that Capcom wouldn’t confidently predict selling millions for a single game in a franchise with only 9.8 million units sold altogether. Moreover, a recent release in the Street Fighter series and a Resident Evil 4 remake make a new Resident Evil game less likely (rumors suggest Resident Evil 9 might be announced next year).
This leaves us with Monster Hunter, Mega Man, Devil May Cry, Dead Rising, or Marvel vs. Capcom. Devil May Cry seems unlikely as the director, Hideaki Itsuno, is currently working on Dragon’s Dogma 2. Dead Rising and Marvel vs. Capcom have sold 15 million and 10 million copies, respectively, which, like Ace Attorney, might not justify Capcom’s confidence in the unannounced game’s potential sales.
Despite Mega Man’s impressive sales of 40 million copies, Capcom’s cancellation of potential titles like Mega Man Legends 3 and Mega Man Star Force 4 during development hints at their lack of confidence in the franchise’s ability to be a profitable venture.
Hence, the most plausible franchise for Capcom’s unannounced game is Monster Hunter. The most recent mainline installment in the series was 2021’s Monster Hunter Rise, which sold an incredible 13 million copies worldwide. Additionally, the Sunbreak DLC expansion saw impressive sales of over 6 million copies.
It’s also worth noting that Capcom’s all-time best-selling game is Monster Hunter: World. The 2018 RPG sold a remarkable 21 million copies, with over 70% of sales coming from international markets. In a wild twist this could also be an entirely new IP – what do you think?
