Resident Evil 7 Expected To Ship 10 Million Units, Still Has A Lot Of Work To Do

Resident Evil 7 failed to reach Capcom's initial expectations, shipping 3.5 million copies for the fiscal year ended March 31, below the company's forecast of 4 million. Despite that, the publisher remains optimistic that the game can achieve 10 million in shipments for its lifetime.

The English translation of an investor Q&A session was published today, and in it, Capcom management said Resident Evil 7's 3.5 million shipments represents a "solid start." The company noted that unit sales for the game, and Monster Hunter Double Cross, have seen a "solid start."

Capcom noted that Resident Evil 7 failing to meet the initial sales targets is not the end of the world because the "lifecycle for games is growing longer." Not only that, but digital sales are getting bigger and bigger, and those are higher-margin compared to boxed retail games, which is a plus for Capcom.

Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6 each individually sold in the range of 7.5 million to 10 million units, and the expectation is that Resident Evil 7 will get there as well...eventually.

Resident Evil 7's favorable reviews will help it continue to sell, Capcom said, while the company is also planning marketing events and more DLC to help increase sales further.

"This title was received favorably by both fans and the media; further, its unit sales continue to grow even now," Capcom said. "We will work to achieve our unit sales goal this fiscal year by continuing to generate buzz with promotional activities that include events for fans, as well as with downloadable content."

In other news, Capcom has delayed Resident Evil 7's Not A Hero expansion. Two add-on packs, called Banned Footage Volumes 1 and 2, were released earlier this year