Capcom Attributes Success to Team-Based Development Strategy

Capcom's current performance, highlighted by successful titles like "Resident Evil: Requiem," "Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection," and "Pragmata," alongside ongoing strong performance from "Street Fighter 6" with its post-launch content, is attributed by the company to a team-first development mentality.

COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto and Capcom founder Kenzo Tsujimoto explained to Famitsu (via Automaton) that the game industry often sees series become heavily dependent on specific developers, creating "individual-driven titles." This model means the continuation of a series is tied to a single creator's ideas, potentially halting future installments if that individual is not involved.

Capcom itself experienced this for many years. However, a re-evaluation of its responsibilities to shareholders prompted a change in strategy. The company engaged with central figures behind its franchises and subsequently abandoned individual-driven development in favor of team-driven projects.

This new approach focused on the idea that "every title should essentially be rebuilt from the ground up." The executives indicated that Capcom was prepared for potential temporary declines in sales during this transition. This shift to a team-based approach is credited with dramatically transforming the company.

Capcom has a history of games with prominent individual creators, such as Hideki Kamiya for "Devil May Cry," Shinji Mikami for "Resident Evil," and Hideaki Itsuno for "Dragon's Dogma." The company's strategic move toward team-driven games is considered to align with the "Capcom renaissance," which is largely seen as having begun with the release of "Resident Evil 7" in 2017.

According to GameSpot, this strategic change is a key factor in Capcom's continued success.