Capcom has revealed their iconic Resident Evil would evolve into a separate game but still carried over a lot of Sweet Home’s mechanics such as a limited inventory, puzzles and the story unfolding through journal entries. Capcom had modest expectations for how well the game would sell, but it would become an unexpected bestseller.
The sales of Resident Evil brought Capcom out of financial difficulties so a sequel was quickly green lit. Resident Evil VII: Biohazard stripped it down to its horror roots again. The franchise has been featured on just about every platform imaginable in the last two decades, from the Game Boy Color to the Nintendo Switch.
Related: Every Resident Evil Game Ranked From Worst To Best (According To Metacritic)
The recent remake of Resident Evil 2 sold 3 million units in its first week, in addition to receiving near-universal critical praise. Now Capcom (via Reset Era) has revealed that Resident Evil has officially become its bestselling franchise, having sured 90 million copies sold since 1996. That’s a seriously impressive figure, and with renewed interest in the series, it’s not hard to imagine it will 100 million units in the new few years.
Resident Evil wasn’t the first survival horror game, but it proved to a landmark for the genre. Its success paved the way for other horror franchises like The Final Chapter bringing that version of the series to a close.
It didn’t take long for a movie reboot to be announced though, with Resident Evil 8 coming later and reportedly taking place on an abandoned Umbrella island. The game is also said to feature an hallucination mechanic that will have players questioning what’s real and what isn't.
