Nearly seven years after the release of the last installment in the franchise, CAPCOM’s Dead Rising returns in the news thanks to a rumor spread by Windows Central’s Jez Corden. Shortly after sharing his information regarding Sony’s exclusive deals with Konami for MGS 3 Remake, Silent Hill, and maybe Castlevania, Corden tweeted he heard a rumor about a possible Dead Rising reboot being under evaluation at CAPCOM. Later, he added that it wasn’t anything concrete yet, but it was enough to get fans interested in the mere possibility.
Dead Rising was originally released as an Xbox 360 exclusive in 2006. It was a critical and commercial success for CAPCOM, thanks to its many unique features. For instance, it showcased the potential of the new console with hundreds of zombies available on screen; it allowed players to grab almost anything they could find in the Willamette Parkview Mall to throw at the zombie hordes; and it featured an intriguing timer mechanics that forced players to make decisions on which events they wanted to participate in over the course of the three days. Dead Rising players could also choose whether to rescue other survivors and, based on various factors, they would get a different ending.
Even protagonist Frank West, a photo reporter stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time, quickly became a favorite among gamers, who also loved the many nods to the history of zombie fiction, starting with John Romero’s cult movies.
The sequel was handed over to Blue Castle Games, later known as CAPCOM Vancouver, who would also develop Dead Rising 3 and 4. The second and third installments featured new protagonists, while Frank West returned for Dead Rising 4. However, the sequels veered away from the original game’s horror vibe, betting everything on the corniness and weirdness of the weapons at the player’s disposal.
CAPCOM Vancouver was working on a fifth mainline entry before trouble began in early 2018 with over 50 cut jobs. A few months later, CAPCOM announced the studio’s closure and the cancellation of its projects, which cost the Japanese publisher around $40 million. Later, we learned that the Vancouver studio was also planning to make a new Dino Crisis game in addition to Dead Rising 5.
CAPCOM has been on an amazing streak, that’s for sure. For a Dead Rising reboot to be successful, it’d have to return to what made it special in the first place. We’ll wait and see if the rumor gets confirmed in the future.
