RE: Extinction Details Revealed

- Filmmaker talks about the trilogy concept, Road Warrior and burying Vegas in sand.

This week at the Hollywood and Video Games Summit in Beverly Hills, we got a chance to talk to the keynote speaker, filmmaker Paul W.S. Anderson. The director, famous for adapting videogames to film, talked briefly about the third movie in the Resident Evil trilogy, Resident Evil: Extinction.

"My concept behind the trilogy of movies I always imagined making was: the first movie would be a prequel to the very first game. It would tell the back story of the videogame world. The second movie would be set kind of intertwined with what was happening in Raccoon City. And then the third movie would be like a post script to the world of the videogame," Anderson explained.

"So the third movie, Resident Evil: Extinction is set several years in the future and it's pretty much after the Umbrella Corporation has failed to control the outbreaks of the T-Virus and the world has literally been wiped out. There's very little humanity left and a handful of human survivors are traveling around the remnants of the world in these heavily armored convoys and what they do is they go to the least populated parts of the world, because they figure that's where the least undead will be, and they travel in these heavily armored trucks and customized rolling fortresses—it's very Road Warrior--at high speed so that the undead don't get anywhere near them. So that's where the movie takes place, primarily in the deserts of Nevada and around Las Vegas. But of course, it's a Las Vegas that has kind of fallen now, because what's happened is, with no one to take care of it, the desert has come back in and half-buried Vegas. So… we built all these casinos which are sort of buried in the sand.

"We built… parts of Paris [the casino]. So we built a chunk of the Eiffel Tower, but half-buried in sand. It's really spectacular."

The often delayed pc version of Resident Evil 4 is now pegged for a September release date. Some sites, such as Walmart have marked it specifically with a September 13 release.

To commemorate Resident Evil’s 10th anniversary, Capcom will be releasing 7 inch models/figures for the hefty sum of $209.99. For that price you can expect them to be high-quality and limited edition. These models also seem to be done by Neca, the same company that has done the Resident Evil 4 figures. So, if you’re a big fan you may want to pre-order them, that’s if you’re willing to ‘buy them at a high price’. Chris, Jill, Hunk, and Mr. Zombie (with bonus Cerberus) will be available. Though, I’m not sure if they will have style variants, i.e. Resident Evil Remake, 2, 3 etc. Check them out here.

[Update] Just a quick comment on the news story. Entertainment earth tends to have their pricing on cases, actual price will be between $10-$15 a pop. Check out www.cornerstorecomics.com or www.amazingtoyz.com for some of the best deals you will find on them as a sets of 4. - Thanks to Last Call.

The company today bucked the current industry trend of disappointing financial figures by reporting 6.9 billion yen ($62 million) in earnings for the fiscal year ended March 31, an increase of more than 91 percent. Last year, the company reported 3.6 billion yen ($32 million) in profits.

On the sales front, Capcom raked in 70.3 billion yen ($632 million) for the year, compared to 65.9 billion yen ($589 million) from the year prior.

While Resident Evil 4 and new Monster Hunter titles were big winners for the company's home videogame sales business, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, Without Warning and Beatdown struggled in terms of sales. Capcom partially blamed "a sluggish US market and competition with foreign game manufacturers."

The publisher referred to North America as "the weakening world's largest game market," and reported an 18 percent decrease in net sales and operating income down nearly 88 percent for the territory.

As part of its business strategy, Capcom has decided to introduce new IP at at the beginning of the console transition, particularly Dead Rising and Lost Planet. Capcom senior VP of sales and marketing Mark Beaumont recently told Next-Gen.Biz, "We want to make them more global products and at the same time add something that can appeal to the different territories. I have found the developers in Japan to be very open to the idea of working with us to find ways to make better global products."

It will features the original mode and the arranged mode (for those wondering, the arranged mode is exactly the same as the US RE3 difficulty, which is harder than the Japanese version), and higher resolution videos. Just like the first release, all of the 8 costumes will be unlocked right from the start.



To see how good the screen quality of the game will be, you can download the shots here.




Something worth noticing is that this is not the first re-release of RE3. RE3 PC was first released in Japan, September 99. It was re-released in June 2001 for a 3,255 yen, followed by a 'greatest hit' edition for 2,079 yen.

Paris, FRANCE – FEBRUARY 1, 2006 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced that it has signed an agreement with Capcom to distribute Resident Evil 4, Onimusha 3 and Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition video games for the PC. Ubisoft will distribute Capcom’s games in North American and European territories beginning in February 2006 with the release of Onimusha 3: Demon Siege.

“Capcom has created fantastic universes which have become blockbuster franchises,” said Jay Cohen, vice president of publishing at Ubisoft. “Ubisoft is excited to be bringing three of the industry’s most innovative titles, including Resident Evil 4, which has been recognized by many publications and organizations as the best game of the year for 2005, to PC gamers around the world.”

Resident Evil 4 is a shining star in the survival horror genre garnering critical acclaim and numerous “Game of the Year” awards from media outlets including Game Informer magazine, North America’s largest gaming magazine and GameSpot.com, a leading source for gaming information. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege stars French actor Jean Reno and is the latest episode in the Onimusha franchise. This action adventure series has become a phenomenon thanks to its amazing backdrop in medieval Japan mixed with heroic fantasy elements. Devil May Cry made an outstanding debut on console and quickly became a popular action game. Renowned for its gothic atmosphere, non-stop action and thrilling combat, the latest installment to the franchise adds a new character a new boss and many new levels.

“Capcom is excited to be taking advantage of Ubisoft’s global distribution network to deliver our hottest titles for gamers around the world to play and enjoy,” said Toshihiro Tokumaru, executive officer at Capcom. “We look forward to working together for continued growth for both companies.''

At the same time, Capcom took the chance to also announce that as of the 31st of December 2005 the entire worldwide sales of the franchise had passed the 30 million mark, just short of the series' 10th anniversary. Full details can be found at Capcom Japan, in English, right here.

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One of the first Japanese publishers that announced Xbox 360 support was Capcom. Producer Keiji Inafune, best known as the creator of Mega Man, is currently working on Dead Rising for the Xbox 360. He revealed to Famitsu Xbox 360 that the project's development has entered its final stages and that his staff is currently fine-tuning the game. Inafune also commented that the basic components have been completed for Capcom's second Xbox 360 title, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. Both games are scheduled for release during 2006 in Japan, and Dead Rising is set to hit the US in May.

When asked about Resident Evil 5, Inafune revealed that development on the game still hasn't begun in earnest. He explained that his developers are working on the game's graphics and going through a lot of trial and error to come up with ideas to make it play as an all-new game. Inafune hinted that RE5 wouldn't be coming out anytime soon, commenting that Capcom has no plans to release it until it's satisfied.

When asked about other Xbox 360 projects at Capcom, Inafune commented that the company is waiting to see how the Xbox 360 fares at retail before it makes its next move. He commented that making a next-generation game costs a lot, especially in terms of human resources. Inafune explained that Capcom currently has four next-generation games in development, and each requires a team of at least 50 staffers, or 200 total employees--nearly half the company's designers. Inafune thinks that the game industry may be entering into a new stage where it has to turn to outside investors to fund ballooning next-gen budgets, much like the film industry does.

Konami also feels the need to prepare for the changing game market, and it's starting to reorganize. Konami game software company president Michihiro Ishizuka told Famitsu Xbox 360 that Konami will be establishing development studios in four regions of the world in an effort to shift from a primarily Japanese company to a global enterprise. Up until now, Konami created all its games in Japan, but Ishizuka told the magazine that times have changed, and the markets in various regions have different demands and business practices.

Ishizuka admitted that 360 sales in Japan have been slow, but he hopes to release games that will help the console penetrate the traditionally Xbox-resistant market. However, he also commented that strong demand for the next-gen machine in North America and Europe means that Konami's Xbox 360 games will be fundamentally catered toward consumers in those two regions.

In terms of global expansion, Square Enix has been the first Japanese publisher to offer a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for the Xbox 360. The publisher has begun a beta of Final Fantasy XI in Japan, America, and Europe. In particular, Europe has been a major target for Square Enix since FFXI hasn't been previously released in the region. FFXI producer Hiromichi Tanaka revealed to Famitsu Xbox 360 that official services for FFXI will be announced soon, and gamers can expect it to launch within the next few months.

Tanaka also talked a bit about Square Enix's next MMORPG project, which is about to go into full-scale development. While Tanaka didn't reveal details, he confirmed that it will take advantage of the technologies shown in Square Enix's demo trailer during Microsoft's Pre-E3 conference last year. When asked about its release period, Tanaka hinted that it might take at least another year and a half.

There's no doubt that many Japanese publishers will be announcing new Xbox 360 games at this year's E3, and one company that's already confirmed it is Sega. Sega consumer division sub-chief Hiroyuki Miyazaki commented to Famitsu Xbox 360 that his company will be announcing a number of new titles at E3 2006 targeted toward the European and North American market. Miyazaki also said that development on Chromehounds is going well, and it should come out before Mistwalker's Blue Dragon.

When asked whether Virtua Fighter 5 and House of the Dead 4 would come out for the Xbox 360, Miyazaki commented that both are currently under consideration, given their popularity in arcades worldwide.

Famitsu Xbox 360 also spoke with Naohiko Hoshino, vice president of AQ Interactive. AQ Interactive has been getting a lot of attention as an Xbox 360 game publisher, ever since it announced its three big titles at the end of 2005. The company is currently working with Mistwalker's Hironobu Sakaguchi on a new role-playing game named Cry On, and it's also developing two other games: Bullet Witch and Vampire's Rain.

Cry On, Bullet Witch, and Vampire's Rain are all large-scale projects, and Hoshino confirmed to Famitsu Xbox 360 that there's a lot of money being invested into each of them. Although it's a huge risk to throw a great deal of cash into original games that aren't sequels, Hoshino said he feels people are getting tired of the same old titles. He thinks that the launch of a new console provides the biggest opportunity to start a new franchise from scratch.

Hoshino said his aim is to expand Cry On, Bullet Witch, and Vampire's Rain into successful series. Aside from making sequels, he also hopes to expand them into arcades, mobile phones, and online content if possible.

Hoshino also revealed that AQ Interactive is considering two to three other midsized Xbox 360 projects. Whether the projects will be accepted will depend on the console's success in Japan, he said.

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Outside of Japan, the release comes closer for the US and Europe, with reports of the US date being pushed up to the 7th instead of the 14th. Currently Capcom has yet to update it's official release list, but given the number of companies changing their dates - it almost seems like it's happening. Across the Atlantic, the release for the game in Europe seems to becoming clearer, with most places stating release for March 30th instead of just a generic March title. Ironically, March 30th is the exact 10th Anniversary date for Resident Evil - in the US.

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