Capcom’s not-so-secret business goal is to be a mega publisher in the West. In the next fiscal year (read: April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011) the publisher is prioritizing growth in North America and Europe. Their mid-term goal is to boost overseas sales from 52% to 65% of Capcom’s total games sales.
Great, but how is Capcom going to pull that off? Their 2009 annual report sums up their plan for Western domination in three strategies.
- Regular introduction of sequels of popular titles such as Lost Planet 2 and Monster Hunter Tri.
- Revival of series of titles that were popular overseas, such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
- Development of new titles that suit the preferences of overseas customers, like Bionic Commando and Dark Void, in partnership with overseas developers.
Point one is typical Capcom fare. Most top selling Capcom franchises are thrown into the sequel making machine. Bionic Commando wasn’t a cash cow, but point three is still a pragmatic, albeit obvious, strategy. Point two… is interesting.
Capcom procured digital rights to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 after seeing demand for it. They dusted Commando off. Next year, Final Fight and Magic Sword are getting Xbox Live Arcade and PSN ports. Wonder what other Capcom series they are planning to revive. Strider, perhaps? It was and still has a following here.
