'Resident Evil' Series Has Sold Over 100 Million Titles Worldwide

Throughout the years, the “Resident Evil” series became the dividing line in the realm of survival horror. So much so that games such as “Silent Hill,” “Fatal Frame” and “Alan Wake” have made the genre into a fan-favorite, giving them sleepless nights and lots of monsters to slay.

With such overwhelming support, developers and players have reached a point to demand sequels and most recently, remakes of the original titles. “Resident Evil” has seven main games since the dawn of the original in 1996. Since then, it has spawned numerous spin-offs and episodic games.

In line with this, Capcom announced in a press release that “Resident Evil” has sold over 100 million copies worldwide, making it the first series in the developer's 40-year history to do so.

“The 'Resident Evil' franchise has since grown into Capcom's flagship property, continuously supported by a passionate fan base from across the globe since the first title was released 24 years ago, with more than 80% of unit sales of the game coming from outside of Japan,” the press release said.

It also pointed out that the “Single Content Multiple Usage” strategy of “Resident Evil” has made it possible for it to go “beyond games” with film adaptations and theme park attraction collaborations.

The series' success became possible because of Capcom's digital sales strategy that saw its customer segments “expanded” plus the fact that they extended the “life of games” by offering flexible pricing in more than 250 different countries and regions around the world.

In addition, Capcom also utilized a strategic release schedule for new “Resident Evil” titles while at the same time, making sure that remakes have the best cutting-edge technology, as evident in “Resident Evil 2” and “Resident Evil 3.”

“Going forward Capcom looks to further grow the franchise by leveraging its accumulated knowhow to launch games on next-generation consoles,” said Capcom. This will include “Resident Evil: Village” the sequel to “Resident Evil Biohazard” which sold 7.5 million copies.

“Resident Evil HD Remaster” also hit the one million mark when it was released in January 2015. “Resident Evil: Village” was revealed during Sony's The Future of Gaming and is scheduled for a PlayStation 5 launch on 2021, alongside the Xbox Series X and PC.

Click here to see the announcement trailer of "Resident Evil: Village."