The news comes in a recent Capcom release announcing the much anticipated (and leaked) Resident Evil 3 remake.
To put things in perspective, the original Resident Evil 2, which released on the PlayStation in 1998, has sold some 4.96 million units in 21 years. It is unclear if this official figure includes various ports on PC, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and Gamecube.
Even so, the pace at which the Resident Evil 2 remake has achieved similar sales numbers is unsurprising even if it is staggering. Despite polarizing the fanbase, both Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 have sold incredibly well for Capcom, pushing 7.5 million and 7.4 million units, respectively.
That is not to mention the success of Resident Evil 7, a game many called a return to form for the franchise. To date, RE7 has sold some 6.8 million units across PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
While the RE2 remake received near-universal praise from critics and fans alike, our review of the game was a tad harsher on the remake, though we did enjoy outsmarting zombies in Raccoon City in the new RE Engine.
The above sales numbers, and the fact that 2 million fans played the RE2 remake demo ahead of the game’s release, cement the idea that the franchise still has a lot of life in it. And millions of those fans don’t care what our review has to say.
Reportedly, that same demo is headed to consoles sometime soon — and the time limit found in the PC version has seemingly been removed. It’s all good news for the millions of fans who might not have yet experienced the survival-horror gem.
Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more on the Resident Evil series as it shambles from the shadows.