Resident Evil 7 has shipped 3.5 million units across PS4, Xbox One, and PC. This is a fine showing for an exceptional game, and the reception to the RE series revival was extremely solid. Fans and critics praised the game, including our review which said “Resident Evil 7 reinvents itself while still retaining that classic RE feel”. And while the 3.5 million copies is a great success, according to Capcom they hope to end up with close to triple that amount.
In an earnings call Q&A session, Capcom was asked about the unit sales performance for Resident Evil 7. Here is where they revealed that it had sold 3.5 million copies, but they went on to explain their expectations for the future.
“The lifecycle for games is growing longer, driven by ongoing digital sales; as a result, Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6 have each sold more than 7.5 to 10 million units cumulatively (including catalog and re-release sales). As such, we will work to achieve 10 million cumulative lifetime unit sales for Resident Evil 7 as well.”
It’s a pretty lofty goal, but they do make a very good point in that initial sentence. Games aren’t sold like they used to be. They used to hit the market, sell through a bunch of units, then drift away, only selling more via bargain bins. Now, thanks to digital marketplaces, games can be kept in front of gamers in perpetuity. Sales and re-releases keep the title fresh and updated, and can even extend the life to new consoles, as we’ve seen with past Resident Evil games.
Resident Evil 7 could be selling units far into the future on the PS5, PS6, Xbox Whatever, and whatever follows that. It might take a long time and a lot of re-releases, but RE7 selling 10 million copies is definitely within the realm of possibility.
