Dead Rising may be a series known for its all-out wackiness and frenetic jousts with the flesh-rotting undead, but Dead Rising 5 could be going in a completely different, smaller direction. Latest rumours indicate that Capcom Vancouver is cutting back on staff, and that’s forced the Japanese publisher to scale back a fifth outing to Willamette.
According to a source who reached out to Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, Capcom’s Vancouver office is in the midst of some widespread changes. 50 out of a potential 250 staff members have been shown the door.
Also confirmed in the report was the existence of a new Dead Rising game. Those looking to go snap-happy with Frank West and co. yet again may want to hold fire on their shutters, however. The zombie title has “cut scope”, so it’s unlikely we’ll see a fully-fledged Dead Rising anytime soon. A mobile or cut-price release could very well be on the horizon.
The chopping block also beckons for an unannounced Capcom project. Described as a ‘third-person action-adventure game set in an alternate reality version of New York,’ the project was in the very early stages of development and wasn’t even greenlit before it was canned.
Life in the video game business is never easy. Projects come and go; turnarounds and deadlines are often harsh with no leeway, and there’s a constant environment of renewal and refreshing. Capcom is just the latest company to fall victim to it. It wasn’t the first and definitely won’t be the last, even if it concerning that the bubble has seemingly burst for its Canadian wing.
Here’s hoping Dead Rising can buck the trend and shamble out of its shallow grave. For now, though, we’ll have to make do with Dead Rising 4 and (sigh) its PS4 equivalent Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package.
