Hideaki Itsuno, the legendary developer who reinvigorated the Devil May Cry franchise and created Dragon's Dogma, recently announced that he was leaving Capcom after working the??re for? over 30 years. After a few months of radio silence,?? he just? announced the next chapter of his career.

On his personal Instagram account, Itsuno revealed that he is now the head of LightSpeed Japan Studio, a brand-new division of LightSpeed Studios, the company that made PUBG Mobile, which is owned by the enormous Chinese technology conglomerate, Tencent. In his post, Itsuno stated: "I’m confident we’ll crea??te original AAA action game titles al??ongside our amazing team, delivering aesthetic and innovative experiences to players worldwide".

LightSpeed Studios' official website reveals that this new Japan?ese branch is based in Osaka and Tokyo and, like Itsuno revealed, its main focus is on developing high-quality AAA action games. The company's president, Jerry Chen, said: "It is our great honor to have Hideaki Itsuno join LightSpeed Studios. The establishment of LightSpeed Japan Studio is a significant step in LightSpeed Studios' expansion and demonstrates our commitment to bringing the best possible games to our players".

After months of speculation, fans on Instagram reacted very positively to Itsuno's announcement, since this confirms that he isn't retiring and that he'll keep making action games, which are his bread and butter. One ??notable figure who?? congratulated Itsuno is Johnny Yong Bosch, Nero's voice actor in the Devil May Cry games, and Dante's voice actor in the upcoming Devil May Cry animated series.

Hideaki Itsuno is perfect for LightSpeed Japan Studio

The main goal of LightSpeed Japan Studio is to develop original AAA action games, so it couldn't have hired a more suitabl?e person for this job than Hideaki Itsuno. After all (and as the studio proudly claims on its official website) Itsuno's contributions to the action genre ended up changing the industry forever.

While he directed popular Capcom fighters like Power Stone and Rival Schools, what eventually put him on the map was his work on Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, a fantastic hack & slash adventure that saved the franchise after the monumental failure that was Devil May Cry 2 (which Capcom made him direct years earlier). After working on Devil May Cry 4, Itsuno finally pitched Dragon's Dogma to the company, a new IP that he created on his own. He later came back to Dante's franchise, when he directed 2019's Devil May Cry 5.

Over time, Itsuno became synonymous with dynamic and over-the-top hack & slash games with refined combat systems and incredible boss fights. So while his departure from Capcom was quite unfortunate - especially because it meant he would never work on Devil May Cry or Dragon's Dogma again - his new position at LightSpeed Studio Japan gives him the chance to create something entirely new and special that has the potential to influence the industry as much as his previous works did. We just hope tha??t Tencent and LightSpeed Studios wil?l keep their promise and give Itsuno as much artistic freedom as he needs.

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Netflix recently released an exciting new trailer for its upcoming Devil May Cry animated series that will premiere in Ap??ril 2025. However, fans immediately noticed that Dante's voice sounded different from the games, where Reuben Langdon usually voices him.

After people asked Netflix about this on its social media, the company officially confirmed that Dante will be v?oiced by none other than Johnny Yong Bosch, who voices Nero in the Devil May Cry video games. However, Reuben Langdon did step u?p to sh?ow his approval of this new casting.

Langdon congratulated Yong Bosch on his personal Twitter/X account and remarked that he's already part of the Devil May Cry family, referencing his previous work as Nero in DMC4 and DMC5. After all, this young devil hunter is Vergil's son and Dante's nephew, so it's quite reasonable for Netflix to cast Yong Bosch as a younger version of Dante from a separate universe.

Yong Bosch responded to Langdon's blessing, by telling him, "You’ll always be my Dante", which proves that things are definitely quite amicable between the two actors. This interaction has endeared most fans and made them receive the? sudden recasting in a more positive manner.

The Devil May Cry franchise is prone to recastings

The sudden replacement of Langdon as Dante is nothing new for the Devil May Cry franchise, seeing as he's not even the first person who voiced this character: Drew Coombs voiced him in the first game, Matthew Kaminsky in the second game, and Langdon took over the role from Devil May Cry 3 onwards. This isn't even the first time in recent years that someone else voiced Dante, with Jacob Browning voicing Dante in the mobile game, DMC: Peak of Combat.

There's no denying that L?angdon's performance as Dante is incredibly recognizable and beloved, but since this is a character who is prompt to changing voices, this recasting should surprise no one. Not to mention that Yong Bosch's excellent work as Nero has already proven that he's more than fit to take up the mantle and breathe new life into this iconic devil hunter in the process.

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Back in September 2023, Netflix announced that the beloved Capcom game franchise Devil May Cry is getting a new animated adaptation. During Geeked Week 2024, Netflix followed up with an exciting reveal: the animated series is ??set to premiere in April 2025.

Alongside this announcement, a brand-new teaser trailer ??was relea?sed, giving fans a first look at some of the show’s action-packed sequences.

Produced by Netflix, the series promises to offer a fresh take on the iconic action-adventure game. Animation is being handled by Studio Mir, renowned for its stellar work on projects like The Legend of Korra and Dota: Dragon’s Blood.

The story will center on Devil May Cry’s iconic characters, including Dante, Vergil, and Lady. According to Anime News Network, the first season will consist of eight episodes, which should set the stage for what is expected to be a multi-season saga. Furthermore, Netflix confirmed that Johnny Yong Vosch, who voiced Nero in Devil May Cry 4 and Devil May Cry 5, will ??be taking on th?e role of Dante in this adaptation.

This is also not the first time Devil May Cry has been adapted for the screen. In 2007, Madhouse produced a 12-episode anime series based on the game. Released on home video by ADV Films and later Funi?mation, the anime gained a following and was made available on streaming p??latforms like Crunchyroll in 2017.

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Hideaki Itsuno recently announced his departure from Capcom, and Devil May Cry fans are absolutely heartbroken. After all, he's a talented and influential developer who worked on multiple hit games: Apart from his impeccable work on the DMC franchise, he also directed cult classics like Rival Schools and Dragon's Dogma.

Itsuno may not be the most renowned Capcom developer but he's one of the most importa??nt ones, and his influence on the company should never be underestimated. He had both a fascinating career and a complex relationship with Capcom, and both should be studied from beginning to end.

His humble origins as a fighting game aficionado

Like most Japanese gamers of his generation, Itsuno was a passionate fighting game fan who Capcom hired in 1994 to work in their Arcade Division. He was obviously a big fan of Street Fighter II, but he also revealed that he played the competitor's titles during this time: "I always loved fighting games, so it was always a certain fighting game with yearly installments. The one I played all the time was the '94 edition", he told Takayuki Nakayama in an interview, referencing the beloved SNK fighter The King of Fighters '94.

He began working on multiple ports of Street Fighter II and even worked as a designer in Street Fighter Alpha until he eventually got the opportunity to direct new fighting game IPs, like Rival Schools and Power Stone. Itsuno applied his vast knowledge to every project he worked on: "Rival Schools was a game where we put a lot of effort into making sure it was easy to ?play."

He and his team knew that, unlike other arcade fighters, Capcom was eventually going to port Rival Schools to home consoles. With this philosophy in mind, they developed the PlayStation 1 version in just three months, with the goal of selling 1 million copies. This was Itsuno's first experi?ence with home consoles, and it eventually changed the course of his entire career. He also carried his penchant for accessibility over to every subsequent project he worked on.

He transformed Devil May Cry into what it is today

The gaming market was radically changing during the 2000s, and Capcom began taking developers from their Arcade Division and forcing them to work in home console games. In an outrageous decision, Capcom began its plans to make a sequel to their brand-new IP, Devil May Cry, without consulting Hideki Kamiya and his team??. The company put Capcom Studio 1 to work on it instead.

The development of Devil May Cry 2 was quite r??ocky, and eventually, Capcom promoted Itsuno to director during the final months of development, replacing the original director of the game, who ultimately went uncredited. In the book Devil May Cry: 3142 Graphic Arts, Itsuno explains how Capcom practically forced him to direct: "The bosses came in and said, "Alright, do we have a director for DMC2?" Just as we were all thinking, "Nope. We actually don't," they said,?? "Okay. You do it."

Itsuno tried his best and really put a lot of effort into trying to improve and refine DMC2 as much as he could. But his efforts weren't enough to save what was already a low-quality product, so when Capcom finally released DMC2, fans and critics immediately panned it. "It's strange to be a director as a helper in the first place. But the development of DMC2 was too short, and there were some parts that I felt I had left undone and hadn't been able to be fully satisfied with", he said later in an interview with Famitsu.

Devil May Cry 3 was just what Dante (and the franchise) needed

To the surprise of everybody, DMC2 was a financial success, which led Capcom to greenlight another sequel. Itsuno didn't want this game to be his legacy and he just knew that he could create something truly special if he got to work on it from the beginning. "I even went so ?far as to ask dire??ctly, 'Please let me do DMC3'", he told Famitsu. C?apc??om accepted, and he immediately began recruiting his team.

He brought most of the DMC2 staff to work in the sequel, and they knew what they had to do: make Dante more energetic and youthful once again, so they decided to make DMC3 a prequel. Itsuno also brought over everything he learned from working in so many fighting games: "I decided to just go all out and include all the fun of combos in fighting games, so I was glad that I was able to compete in an area where I was confident." His experience working on fighting games also influenced the way he utilized music in his games: "Ever since the "Rival Schools" series, I've made a note of directing scenes with the music in mind," he explained in DMC: 3142 Graphic Arts.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening quickly became a critical and commercial success. Audiences endlessly praised it for going back to the series' dynamic and challenging roots while also giving Dante his charming personality back. Itsuno and his team didn't just make yet another excellent DMC game, but they also brought new life into the fran??chise. And this was just the beginning.

Devil May Cry 4 introduced a new protagonist at the worst moment

In DMC: 3142 Graphic Arts, Itsuno revealed how he became the director of the next installment in the series: "Someone else was given control of DMC4, but one of the bosses said, "Dealing with the ne?w PS3 hardware is going to be tough, so we need someone more experienced to take charge??. You do it." I wasn't particularly against the idea, so I accepted the position.

Itsuno and his team knew they needed to do something bold and unexpected to keep the Devil May Cry franchise fresh and interesting. That's why they came up with a new devil hunter named Nero. He always had great plans for this new character, but he did fear that he was going to get extremely negative feedback for "replacing" Dante, so he was included as well: "It was a gamble for us to even introduce a new character," he revealed in an interview with Games Radar.

Dante was created by Hideki Kamiya, so it makes sense for Itsuno to prefer the new characters he personally conceived. "I like Vergil and Nero. I have an appreciation for Dante, too, of course, but I feel less of a connection with him because he's not a character I created myself", he said in DMC 3142 Graphic Arts.

Devil May Cry 4 would eventually get a mixed-to-positive reception. Over the years, there was a rumor among fans that Capcom was to blame for this, as they either rushed the development of the game or forced Itsuno to cut a lot of content, but the director never officially confirmed it. Even though it sold over 1 million copies by the end of its first fiscal year, DMC4 didn't meet Capcom's high expectations, especially because its development had a bigger budget than usu?al.

He left DMC behind in order to work on his magnum opus

During the late 2000s, Capcom decided to follow a brand-new direction, as the company began to prioritize the development of Western-styled games, which were much more popular and profitable at the time. Capcom chose Ninja Theory to develop a brand-new Devil May Cry reboot and even assigned Itsuno as a supervisor and advisor for this new team. The final result was DmC: Devil May Cry, a solid albeit extremely controversial game.

As much as Itsuno obviously cherished the Devil May Cry series, he never felt that the series was his creation, as he explained in DMC: 3142 Graphic Arts: "When explaining my relationship with DMC to people, I like to say that I'm not so much a parent to the series as I am a foster parent. Or maybe "stepmother" is more appropriate. That usually seems to get the poi??nt acr?oss pretty well."

He did have his own idea for a unique ac??tion RPG with an innovative Pawn mechanic that he came up with even before he joined the DMC2 team: "After (development of) CAPCOM VS. SNK 2 ended, I was actually in the middle of planning to launch an origin?al RPG," he said about his new ??IP.

So, when Capcom asked him for an idea for a large-scale project that could make millions, he pitched what would eventually become Dragon's Dogma, and Capcom greenlit the project. Why did the company approve of it? While executives clearly had confidence in Itsuno based on his impeccable previous work, it was mainly because he convinced them that this was going to be a western-styled RPG, and he even used titles like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Fable II as examples. This fit perfectly with the compan??y's aforementioned new direction.

The surprise success of Dragon's Dogma

Itsuno began working on this new game with the help of his DMC4 team, and it took them three years to complete it. Thanks to the evolution of home console technology, he was finally able to make his idea into a reality. Dragon's Dogma quickly became a surprise hit because?? gamers criticized most action RPGs for their lackluster combat at the time, so its dynamic combat system and epic boss fights helped it become a standout title.

The critical and commercial success of Dragon's Dogma cemented the IP as a new RPG icon, and it led to the creation of an expanded version, a spinoff and even an animated adaptation for Netflix. Years later, Hideaki Itsuno would state: "The (game) that was the biggest success in my mind, the one I'm most proud of, that's probably Dragon's Dogma." He even?? wanted to work ON its seque??l almost immediately, but he didn't know that DMC would need him again very soon...

Devil May Cry needed its savior, once again

In 2015, the success of Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition and DmC: Definitive Edition proved to Capcom that there still was a shared interest in the iconic hack-and-slash franchise. Itsuno decided to pitch Devil May Cry 5, and it worked quite well: "The reactions from everyone around me were positive, and the production discussions went smoothly," he told Dengeki Online in an interview. But Itsuno said on Twitter/X that DMC5 had been in development since 2014, so they ??likely had plans to revive the franchise much earlier.

In 2013, in an interview for the book DMC: 3142 Graphic Arts, Itsuno said: "That's why even now, the DMC4 staff is clamoring to make a sequel starring Nero. Of course, a sequel with Dante wouldn't be bad either". These ideas would eventually come to fruition in DMC5, a game that featured Dante and Ver?gil, but Nero was ultimately the main protagonist of the adventure.

Itsuno proudly exclaimed "DMC IS BACK!", and everybody went crazy

He had a concrete idea of what he wanted to make from the get-go, which was helpful in creating a more streamlined development process. Just like they did with DMC3 years before, the team brought back what made the series so beloved in the first place but also implemented fresh new ideas. Surprisingly, DmC also inspired them. "In terms of the flow of the series, after DMC4 there was DmC: Devil May Cry, and after that there was DMC5. The staff had the feeling that they wanted to surpass both works in terms of image creation, and they studied them", Itsuno told Dengeki Online.

Capcom revealed DMC5 during Xbox's E3 2018 conference with a fantastic trailer. Hideaki Itsuno went up on stage and proudly exclaimed, "DMC IS BACK!" He was right: When the game was released months later, it immediately became a critical and commercial success onc??e again. It seemed that everything Itsuno and his team touched turned into solid gold.

Everybody praised Devil May Cry 5 for its many positive qualities, and it seemed that, after years of unfounded negativity, the franchise was back to its roots and was more relevant than ever. Not only did DMC5 satisfy longtime fans, but it als?o brought in a slew of new fans??. ??And all of them were eager to see where the franchise was going next.

He finally got the chance to work on that Dragon's Dogma sequel

Before DMC5 launched, Itsuno had to make a difficult choice: In an interview with VG247, he said he went to Capcom's founder Kenzo Tsujimoto and said, "Look, I want to make either DMC5 or Dragon's Dogma 2 next", to which Tsujimoto replied "Okay, do whatever you want. Do whichever one you want,' so he prioritized DMC5 and began working on Dragon's Dogma 2 immediately after that. His mai?n goal with this sequel was to expand on everything he did in the original game, including ideas and mechanics he originally had to scrap.

This resulted in Dragon's Dogma 2, released this year by Capcom. Unfortunately for Itsuno, however, the gam?e got a divisive reception due to stuff that was entirely out of his control. The mishandling of microtransactions and o?ptimization issues contributed to the game's negative reputation. Dragon's Dogma 2 is still a solid action RPG, but it was nowhere near as well received as Itsuno's previous projects.

Hideaki Itsuno's undeniable legacy

One should never underestimate Itsuno's contributions to Capcom and gaming in general, especially for someone who started his career as a mere fighting game fan. He may not have created Devil May Cry??, but he saved the IP not once but twice, cementing it as one of the most successful?? and beloved hack-and-slash franchises. And if that wasn't enough, he also managed to dev?el?op a unique Western-styled RP?G in Japan with Dragon's Dogma, ultimately proving?? that he's also capable of creating successful new IPs from the ground up.

In his countless interviews and press releases, Itsuno told mu?ltiple stories about how the executives at Capcom almost always let him have the final say on which game he would develop next. So it's evident that he was not just a mere employee for the company but that Capcom actually trusted his vision because it was sure he was always going to develop a quality product. Capcom still hasn't responded to Itsuno's departure, but it is definit??ely going to feel his absence.

When he left, Itsuno stated: "I will start developing a new game in a new environm??ent. I hope to create fun, beautiful games that are as memorable as, or even more memorable than, the ones I have created so far" which tells fans everything they need to know about the future of his career: He's going to keep making incredible video games, regardless of which company he's working for.

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Hideaki Itsuno, who directed many beloved titles from well-known franchises such as Devil May Cry, Dragon's Dogma, and Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, has announced his ??departure from Capcom. After 30 years, he's moving on from the company to make gam??es in a new environment.

Itsuno made the announcement on Twitter. Fans are both absolutely devastated that he's leaving and excited for what the future holds. His post explains how he's not leaving the games industry but moving on to "start developing a new game in a new environment." His hope is to create games that are just as memorable, if not more so, than some of the titles he's worked on throughout his career. The last game that he directed and shipped at Capcom was the phenomenal Dragon's Dogma 2.

Thank you Hideaki Itsuno

Ever since he was asked to direct Devil May Cry 2, Itsuno has directed every game in the franchise. I remember Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 4 being two of the best games of their generations, making a splash even with those who'd never played the series. Fans of the franchise and those who It??suno's games have impacted over the years have replied to him on Twitter to wish him well and express what they feel is a huge loss to Capcom.

User PTSDbag sums up fans' feelings incredibly well in one comment. "This is devastating. I was hoping for Devil May Cry 6 with you at the helm. However, your work at Capcom is responsible for cr??eating work that guided me through some of the toughest years of my life and I’m very gratefu??l for you."

While Itsuno has worked on some of the biggest video game franchises, he got his start at Capcom as a planner on Quiz & Dragons: Capcom Quiz Game, a title that combined roleplaying, ta??bletop board game simulation, and a quiz.

The games that stand out from the many he's worked on aren't the Devil May Cry entries, though. While it's only a special thanks, Itsuno is mentioned in the credits for the Resident Evil Outbreak series. Two games that I adore and am incredibly thankful to everyone who worked on them that they exist at all. He obviously had a positive influence in order to warrant th??anks.

The fact that Itsuno is moving on from Capcom shows that he wants?? something new from his career. He still wants to make games, but for whatever reason, he wants to do it elsewhere. Whether that's achieved by him founding a brand-new indie ??studio or working with an already established one remains to be seen.

I think everyone completely understands that what Itsuno might need is something fresh and new. Sometimes, the challenge of starting all over again yields the greatest results, and the chance to prove yourself from scratch is both terrifying and exhilara??ting. We wish Itsuno the best of luck in whatever he has planned.

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Capcom is one of the b??iggest companies in the gaming world, a position it's pretty much held consistently for several decades now. As such, you'd think it would know what it's talking about when it co?mes to the industry at large, and it seems as though physical games are still very much within the developer's wheelhouse.

According to a Q&A session, as noted in the 45th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, Capcom is still keen on providing phys?ical products to its customers. A question on page three asks whether the increase of digital sales could change the way the company deals with physical games. The answe?r from Capcom reads:

Given that a significant number of end users demand physical games we curr??ently do not expect to eliminate physical products.

Do note the word "currently" in that response. However, it's nice that those who still want the option of having disc versions of Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and the like are being catered to, and it's quite surprising? to see that demand for physical products is still "significant."

You can't have "stacks" of digital downloads

The increase in digital sales should not be a shock to anyone. The advent of faster internet speeds and the convenience of on-demand content means a lot of gamers prefer the ease of not having to go out and buy a disc. In an actual shop. How archaic!

We are definitely on the way to an entirely digital society, just because there's very little effort in pressing through a few options on-screen and downloading what you want within minutes. In that regard, the idea of procuring p?hysical games from bricks and mortar places may seem antiquated to some.

I can't say where I stand on the matter. I'm somewhat old-school, or at?? least I thought I was until I subscribed to Xbox Game Pass. With books, I like an even mixture of the two: shelves of actual paperback and hardbacks, but also the benefit of e-books neatly stored on a digital device. I feel the same way about gaming.

Whether Capcom will eventually move away from physical video games in the future remains to be seen. The company has been around for longer than many of us have been alive, and if the Mega Man and Monster Hunter creator says us??ers want physical games, who are we to argue? Other than the a??ctual users themselves who can make that decision with our wallets, digital or otherwise.

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If there's one thing Capcom fans haven't been quiet about over the years, it's their desire for a new entry in the Dino Crisis series. Capcom hasn't outright dashed these hopes either, and even included it as an option in a recent survey that covered a ton of burning questions. Naturally, fans delivered, choosing Dino Crisis as?? the title they'd most like to see get a sequel or new game.

Before we get into a breakdown of the results, let's poke that Dino Crisis bear again. Capcom's 1999 PlayStation slice of dinosaur horror garnered 80,769 votes to be named the "Capcom game series that you would like to see get a sequel or a new game." Mega Man came in second, and Devil May Cry came in third. 

While Dino Crisis made a deep impression on the global top 10, Japan opted for Ace Attorney as its most-wanted sequel with a little over 14,000 votes. Some of Capcom's other notably dormant series got some love, too. Darkstalkers came in sixth place globally, followed by Okami and Onimusha. Breath of Fire sits at the bottom of the top 10 around? the world, but Japan deemed it worthy of sixth place overall. It's wo??rth noting that these options were all provided.

Remade in the shade

There are many good takeaways in this poll, and it's so fun to sift through in general. For instance, when you factor in the age ranges for most-wanted sequels, the youngest demographic wants more Devil May Cry. Conversely, the mid-range of people in the 30s and 40s want Dino Crisis, while the real veterans of the console wars in the 50s and 60s just want to jam some Darkstalkers. Let them eat.

Outside of the love for Dino Crisis, fans let Capcom know which games they'd like to see "completely remade with the latest technology, including character design and story direction." Third place went to Breath of Fire I, II, and III, while the original Onimusha trilogy placed second. With 87,706 votes scattered about, first place ended up being a grab bag of games, from the first three Mega Man entries to Rival Schools, Final Fight, Ace Attorney, and the Gargoyle's Quest games.

Everybody loves Dante

According to Capcom Town, over 250,000 votes were cast during the latest Capcom Super Election. A cavalcade of mostly-male voters (82 percent versus 14 percent female and 4 percent "other") came through, predominantly in their 20s and 30s. The United States took the ca?ke for votes cast out of the 220 countries that participated. Over 71,000 votes came from the U.S., with Japan coming in second at nearly 53,000. 

The real winner in all of this was undoubtedly Devil May Cry star Dante. The results for the first question, "Which of the following Capcom games do you like the best?," saw Devil May Cry 5 on top, with Dino Crisis and Resident Evil 4 coming in second and third, respectively. Dante also narrowly beat out Leon S. Kennedy as the favorite Capcom character, with the silver fox wearing the crown both in Japan and around the world. Women sided with Leon for the most part, but still placed Dante in second. As for the top women of Capcom, Resident Evil's Jill Valentine led the global list, and Street Fighter's Chun-Li was Japan's true World Warrior. 

When it comes to Capcom, it looks like fans want more of their favorite games and characters to mount a comeback. In the "complaints" department, 103,331 people said they wish Capcom would "Reboot previous IPs!" Considering the fact that the top three for "What was the first Capcom game you played?" turned out to be Mega Man (1), Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (2), and Resident Evil (3), I? think it's safe to?? say The Olds came out in droves to let their voices be heard.

Now get on it, Capcom. Give us the Dino Crisis game we so desperately need.

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It's alm?ost Halloween, so you'll probably be wanting some horror games to see you through the end of October. How about some Capcom games,? then? As of right now, the studio is temporarily discounting quite a healthy selection of its releases.

We all know that Capcom has a myriad of choices, especially when it come??s to horror, so ?it'll be quite unfortunate if you can't find at least one franchise that'll suit you.

For example: Resident Evil 4 Remake is currently 30% off (and comes as a special double pack featuring the Separate Ways DLC). Want more Resident Evil? How about Village for 60% off? Even the weake?r entries (you know t?he ones) are discounted.

You can also get all the mainline Dead Rising games in a special Halloween Pack. Or maybe you have all the games mentioned above but want some DLC. Those are in the? sale as well.

This devil...he may cry...

Of course, if horror is not your thing, there are other things in the Capcom sale. The Monster Hunter and Street Fighter series are included in the discounts as well. As is Marvel vs. Capcom.

Hell, even Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is 34% off. You can check out everything that's currently on sale either by going to the developer's website or just heading straight to Steam. It looks li??ke the event will be going on until November 7, so you've got a?? bit of time to decide.

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Netflix hosted a Drop 01 livestream today, taking the opportunity to tease the Devil May Cry animated series. Capcom's action series is coming to Netflix, with Castlevania producer Adi Shankar and Studio Mir (My Adventures with Superman) on board.

While we don't? get to? see much of it, Dante looks pumped enough as he backflips, shoots, and dodges incoming attacks. Check out roughly five seconds of footage sandwiched between some menacing title cards below. 

Adi Shankar first revealed his acquisition of the Devil May Cry series rights back in November 2018. Two more seasons of Castlevania have made their way to fans since, and the Richter-centric Castlevania: Nocturne premieres tomorrow. As for Devil May Cry, its status still says "coming soon," so we'll have to wai??t to see exactly when it drops.  

Other folks involved in the series include writer Alex Larson, Seung Wook Lee of Studio Mir, and Devil May Cry sequel director Hideaki Itsuno. Itsuno already assured everyone he's "supervising it properly."

This party's gettin' crazy!

Netflix's Devil May Cry series isn't Dante's first animated spin. The Son of Sparda previously hit the screen in the appropriately titled Devil May Cry: The Animated Series anime. That one ran for 12 episodes in 2007 and came from Madhouse (One-Punch Man) and director Shin Itagaki (Berserk 2016). The series was written by Toshiki Inoue, known for anime like Death Note and live-action shows like Choujin Sentai Jetman. Whenever "soon" ends up being, we'll finally see how?? Dante holds up 16 years after his last animated outing.

The post Here’s a first look at the Devil May Cry Netflix series appeared first on Destructoid.

Capcom is one of the giants in the gaming industry, and it earned its reputation through its stable of hit franchises. This year has been a good one for the company, with titles such as Resident Evil 4 Remake and Street Fighter 6 releasing to critical acclaim. Capcom’s most recent quarterly report revealed the compa??ny?’s bestselling franchises, and there aren’t many surprises.

[caption id="attachment_393594" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid.[/caption]

Capcom franchises continue to thrive - here are the top five as of July 2023

As a surprise to nobody, Resident Evil tops the list, with 146 million units sold in the franchise's entire lifetime. This number has been boosted by Resident Evil 4 Remake, which has sold 5 million units as of July 2023.

Other titles in the series also continue to sell well, with Resident Evil 2 Remake surpassing 12 million units sold. Fans of the franchise can look forward to RE4 Remake’s VR mode which is in development.

The rest of the list looks like this:

2. Monster Hunter - 94 million units
3. Street Fighter - 52 million units
4. Mega Man - 40 million units
5. Devil May Cry - 29 million units
6. Dragon’s Dogma - 7.7 million units

Monster Hunter’s lifetime sales are to be expected, as the report also reveals that Monster Hunter Rise has sold over 13 million units, with Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak selling over 6 million units. Street Fighter 6, the latest entry in the series, launched in June and has already sold over 2 million ??units.

Plenty of upcoming Capcom titles will ensure those sales numbers stay high. This includes Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy. Hopefully, the indefinitely delayed Pragmata also sees the light of day eventually.

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Street Fighter and Ace Attorney are included too

"Golden Week" is happening in Japan starting this weekend, and tons of publishers are partaking in the festivities. The good news for folks outside of Japan is that said publishers typically hold huge sales globally??, and Capcom's recent Golden Week offerings are what I'd call ??"huge."

Live on multiple platforms, Capcom's Golden Week sale is significant. Applicab?le franchises include (many of which have copious DLC on sale):

• Resident Evil (Village, VII, RE2 remake, RE3 remake, RE4 [OG], RE5, RE6, RE1 remake, RE Zero remake, Umbrella Corps, RE Revelations 1, RE Revelations 2)
• Monster Hunter (Rise, World, Iceborne, Stories 2)
• Ace Attorney (Trilogy, Ace Attorney Chronicles)
• Street Fighter (Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter V)
• Devil May Cry (DmC, DMC HD Collection, DMC4, DMC 5)
• Dead Rising (Dead Rising 1, Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising 3, Dead Rising 4)
• Mega Man (Mega Man 11, Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2, Mega Man Legacy Collection 1+2, Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection)
• Capcom Arcade Stadium (Stadium 1+2)
• Okami HD
• Onimusha
• Marvel vs. Capcom (Infinite, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3)
• Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle
• Lost Planet (Lost Planet 1, Lost Planet 3 Complete)
• Remember Me
• Disney Afternoon Collection
• DuckTales Remastered
• Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
• Strider
• Flock!
• Bionic Commando
• Bionic Command Rearmed

A few of these offerings really bring me back. Bionic Command Rearmed is absolutely worth two bucks, as are, frankly, most of the games on this list. It's a super easy excuse to cozy up with a game like Okami HD and spend the entire weekend playing through it. Most of those Resident Evil games are a steal too, especially if you fancy co-op play with RE5 and Revelations 2.

You can find a helpful visual breakdown of the sale directly on Steam.

These sales are happening on the PSN and Xbox platforms as well

Although Steam has by far the best landing page, sales are also happening on console platfor??ms. Here's a link to each sale page, which contains multiple other Golden W?eek deals:

• Xbox Golden Week deals
• PSN Golden Week deals
• Nintendo Switch Golden Week deals

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Zombie Splats & Palico Cats

Capcom has updated its "Platinum List" depicting the veteran studio's best-selling title titles of all time �And despite several position swaps, the list's Top 20 remains completely dominated by two of the publisher's most consistent and loved franchises: Resident Evil and Monster Hunter.

Various entries in the premier survival horror franchise take up a total of seven slots in the Top 20, spearheaded by 2017's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard at No.3, 2019's Resident Evil 2 at No.4, and 2009's Resident Evil 5 at No.6. The series' most recent entry, 2021's Resident Evil Village, sits at No??.8 with an impressive 7.4 mil??lion total sales.

For a franchise once considered niche, there's no denying Monster Hunter's incredible success. The fantasy franchise takes up an amazing nine slots in the Top 20, almost half of the entire premier league. 2021's Monster Hunter Rise sits proudly at No.2, while Monster Hunter World: Iceborne rocks 10 million sales at No.5. Of course, 2018's incredibly successful Monster Hunter World sits at No?.1 with a still bewildering 18.6 million sales, cementing its pos??ition as the best-selling Capcom release of all time.

2023 will see the release of several new Capcom releases, with the highly anticipated Resident Evil 4 and Street Fighter 6 both expected to deliver sales gold for the publisher. Both of these titles have the potential to claim places within the Platinum List in time �with Capcom already expecting the nostalgic love for Resident Evil 4 to ensure last-minute success f?or the fiscal year. Regardless, Capcom is on a roll and It will be interesting to see the lay of the land for the studio as Gen 9 continues.

The Top 20 of Capcom’s Platinum Titles list is as follows:

1. Monster Hunter: World (2018) 18.6m

2. Monster Hunter Rise (2021) 11.7m

3. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) 11.7m

4. Resident Evil 2 (2019) 11.2m

5. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (2019) 10m

6. Resident Evil 5 (2009) 8.6m

7. Resident Evil 6 (2012) 8.6m

8. Resident Evil Village (2021) 7.4m

9. Street Fighter V (2016) 7.0m

10. Devil May Cry V (2019) 6.5m

11. Resident Evil 3 (2020) 4.6m

12. Street Fighter II (1992) 6.3m

13. Resident Evil 2 (1998) 4.96m

14. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (2022) 4.9m

15. Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (2010) 4.9m

16. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (2017) 4.3m

17. Monster Hunter Generations (2015) 4.3m

18. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (2014) 4.2m

19. Monster Hunter 4 (2013) 4.1m

20. Street Fighter II Turbo (1993) 4.1m

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Dante's Peak

Capcom's ultra-stylish and superbly silly hack 'n' slash title Devil May Cry 5 has smashed past six million sales �The publisher proudly announced that the flashy sequel hit the impressive mileston??e this month, with the number tabulated from global sales on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.

Devil May Cry 5, which initially launched on PS4, PC, and Xbox One in 2019, was something of a grand comeback for the Gothic Disco series, pulling the franchise away from its closely-held and somewhat cult following and making a splash as a major, mainstream release. In much the same way that Monster Hunter World reminded video game fans at large what Monster World was, DmC5 r??eintroduced,? (and in some cases, introduced), Dante and his sexy pals to a new audience of players on a global basis.

In fact, some would argue that DmC5 was one of the key titles that kicked off Capcom's latter-day renaissance, which has seen the legendary developer go from strength to strength with smash releases such as Monster Hunter World, Monster Hunter Rise, Resident Evil: Village, the Resident Evil remakes, Capcom Arcade Stadium, and the upcoming Street Fighter 6. In the fall of 2020, Capcom would release DmC5 for then-new platforms PS5 and Xbox Series X, in the form of Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition.

Devil May Cry 5 is available now on ??PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.

//twitter.com/DevilMayCry/status/1582748663801335808?s=20&t=1xblAg-?uet1GGzJ-_bjWsA

The post Devil May Cr??y 5 smashes past six?? million Super Sexy Sales appeared first on Destructoid.

GOTTA LET IT OUT

Devil May Cry 5 sales have hit a historic five million, Capcom has announced publicly via Twitter.

It's been over three years since the action sequel arrived, and reminded people of what the Devil May Cry series was truly capable of once again. Here's what Capcom had to say to mark the occasion (though the publisher did not qualify the Devil May Cry 5 sales numbers w?ith any platform or SKU breakdown):

"Cumulative worldwide sales of 'DMC5' ?have exceeded 5 million units! Thank you for your support."

Devil May Cry 5, using Capcom's own investor relations data, was already the best-selling Devil May Cry game of all time, towering over DMC4. Previously the entry was re??ported to have sold 4.8 million units, so it continues to climb like an evergreen action game should.

I have to say, it's well deserved, given how Devil May Cry 5 brought the series back to around the game genre-defining cachet it had back at the launch of Devil May Cry 3: which remains one of the best action games of all time. Devil May Cry 5 is something I'm going to be going back to throughout my lifetime, and I can still vividly recall the E3 presentation when Capcom announced it.

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Positive report for studio's range of IPs

Capcom has been on a real roll for the past few years, knocking out smash hit after smash hit following the disappointing launch of 2016's Street Fighter V. In fact, the long-time developer is doing so well, Capcom has revised its finan??cial foreca?st for its recent Cosildated Full-Year Earnings Report.

The new figures see Capcom raise its net sales estimates to ¥110 billion (roughly $857 million USD) while its operating income has been pushed to a lofty ¥43 billion ($327 million). The new numbers represent a forecast increase of 10%, which is led thanks to the highly impressive sales numbers of some of the company's 2021 releases, which include best-seller Resident Evil Village and the Nintendo Switch and PC releases of Monster Hunter Rise.

"In our core Digital Contents business, we saw favorable performances from titles such as Resident Evil Village, which is the latest game in the series, as well as Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, an RPG in the Monster Hunter series," notes Capcom in a press statement. "Further, in addition to the January release of the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise, sales grew due to the stable popularity of catalog titles—primarily past titles in major series—and due to the synergetic effects o??f discount sales held in the fourth quarter. Altogether, this? has led us to expect net sales to exceed our previous forecast."

The remainder of 2022 will see Capcom release its first major Monster Hunter Rise DLC expansion, Sunbreak, alongside DLC for Resident Evil Village, and retro compilations Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium and Capcom Fighting Collection. The company will also continue to stoke preliminary hype for the next installment in the legendary Street Fighter series, Street Fighter 6, whic??h many expect to launch at some?? point in 2023.

The post Capcom’s recent success leads to increased financial forecast for 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.

See for yourself

[Update: Valve has actually provided a centralized location for Steam Deck info for studios to potentially show off more stuff like this Devil May Cry 5 Steam Deck clip.]

Curious about how Devil May Cry 5 Steam Deck plays? Well, Capc??om has off-screen gameplay for you? as you wait for your pre-order to get in.

Uploaded on the Devil May Cry YouTube channel, we have off-screen gameplay footage of the game running on the Steam Deck, flipping through various points in the game. Clocking in at just under a minute, the clip gets the job done, giving you an idea of what to expect in terms of play control and framerate. Out of all the underwhelming marketing we've seen for this thing so far, this is one of the more interesting videos, and it's barely 60 seconds. It reminds me of downloading 360p files of Devil May Cry 4 and watching them over and over until I found something interesting. It's something to do during the wait for the Steam Deck.

That wait might be a bit, too, even without further delays. Valve was originally looking to ship the first wave of Steam Deck devices by the end of the year, but it loo?ks like that Fe?bruary 2022 is now the target. Valve cites the same "material shortages" as the rest of t??he industry, which makes sense, as the initial target was extremely optimistic given the situation even at the time.

Until then, you can studiously look over individual footage of off-screen Devil May Cry 5 Steam Deck tests and see if it's up to par.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxekE_wMGGw

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Monster Hunter & Resident Evil dominate sales

Capcom has released its updated "Platinum Titles" list, celebrating the best-selling releases in the company's history. The latest iteration of the list sees 2021's Resident Evil Village and Monster Hunter Rise make their debut in the Top 20.

The list, as always, is dominated by Capcom's Resident Evil and Monster Hunter franchises �which respectively take up seven and nine individual Top 20 slots. The survival horror's best-selling entry, 2017's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, sits in second place with a whopping 10.2 million sales, while 2018's Monster Hunter: World remains Capcom's biggest-se??ller of?? all time, with an incredible 17.5 million sales to date. The remainder of the Top 20 is peppered with releases from both franchises.

Flagship fighting series Street Fighter still gets a look-in, with 2016's Street Fighter V now sitting at six million sales and, proudly, 1992's Street Fighter II still in the Top 10 with 6.3 million sales. Godspeed. At number 13, 2019's Devil May Cry V is flying the flag for the super sexy shooter series, with an impressive 4.7 million sales. Save for these few releases, however, Capcom's coffers are most assuredly filled via multiple acts of monster hunting and zombie smashing.

The Top 20 of Capcom's Platinum Titles list is as follows:

1. Monster Hunter: World (2018) 17.5m

2. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) 10.2m

3. Resident Evil 2 (2019) 8.9m

4. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (2019) 8.5m

5. Resident Evil 5 (2009) 8.0m

6. Resident Evil 6 (2012) 8.0m

7. Monster Hunter Rise (2021) 7.5m

8. Street Fighter II (1992) 6.3m

9. Street Fighter V (2016) 6.0m

10. Resident Evil 2 (1998) 4.96m

11. Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (2010) 4.9m

12. Resident Evil Village (2021) 4.8m

13. Devil May Cry 5 (2019) 4.7m

14. Resident Evil 3 (2020) 4.6m

15. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (2017) 4.3m

16. Monster Hunter Generations (2015) 4.3m

17. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (2014) 4.2m

18. Monster Hunter 4 (2013) 4.1m

19. Street Fighter II Turbo (1993) 4.1m

20. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (2008) 3.8m

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Looking to secure 50% of company sales on PC

According to recent comments by one ?of its head honchos, legendary develope??r/publisher Capcom is looking to make PC a flagship platform for its wares in the coming years.

Speaking in Japanese publication Nikkei, (translated and recapped by VGC), Capcom Chairman of Operations Haruhiro Tsujimoto noted that the incredible ongoing success of games such as Resident Evil 7 and Monster Hunter World has encouraged the publisher to drive its global PC sector harder. By the end of 2022, Capcom is hoping to see PC ??sales make up 5?0% of its annual revenue.

"At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, we focused on exhibiting the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise, and I think people? will be able to experience the change in our approach," said Tsujimoto of the company's new focus. "The pandemic is changing the way people look at ??PCs. Smartphones are convenient, but their screens are small, and their touch panels are difficult to operate, so they are not suitable for home working or school classes. I think PCs will be the next big thing after smartphones. The PC can also play high-quality games, so the number of PC users should increase as understanding of the PC increases."

It may seem a little odd to see Tsujimoto talk about the PC platform like it's some form of new-fangled technology, ("understanding of the PC", really?), but, given that it's coming from a game publishing executive �many of which believe that the smartphone is the be-all-and-end??-all of financial success?? �then the idea of PC as a leading gaming format might legitimately seem like some sort of untapped, undiscovered country.

Capcom has been typified as a console company since the '90s, thanks to a fantastic catalogue of arcade-style titles. But as recent hits such as Monster Hunter World, Devil May Cry V, and the Resident Evil remakes and sequels have all found rock-solid success on Steam, it seems that Capcom is fin??ally making moves to further focus on PC releases for its current and future catalogue to PC.

This is obviously great news. The more the merrier. But still, Capcom, there is the little matter of Denuvo...

The post Capcom looking to ??drive PC as a flagship platform in the future appeared first on Destructoid.

Wallet Will Cry

The high-end merchandise-makers over at Prime 1 Studio have released images on a brand new statue, featuring the tight detail, intricate design, and eye-watering price that is the company's trademark. Devil May Cry's wry hero Dante joins Prime 1's line of top-tier video game statues, previously showcasing characters from NieR: Automata and Resident Evil.

//www.youtub??e.com/watch?v=wew95WMgj_?Q&list=TLGGOtltp_aFmoMzMDA4MjAyMQ&t=42s

The half-scale Dante statue stands a mighty 43 inches tall and sees the demon hunter stylized in his silver fox Devil May Cry V form. Dante is cast in polystone and features clothing stitched from real fabric, with detailing that includes real metal parts. Dante, poised in typical casual-as-all-hell fashion, comes equipped with his legendary firearms Ebony & Ivory as well as his head-cleaving sword, Rebellion. A demonic, finely detailed base completes the ensemble, making this statue a true "museum piece" for the most die-hard (and richest) of Devil May Cry aficionados.

Ok, it's inevitable, so let's just rip that Band-Aid right off. Prime 1 Studio's Devil May Cry Dante statue will retail for $2,699 USD for the standard format, while the Black Label edition �complete with an alternate silicon head complete with synthetic hair �will set you back a reasonable $4,299 USD. These ?prices do not include shipping and handling �and with the statue expected to weigh upwards of 25lbs, be sure to factor those costs into your generous budget.

If you fancy having the sexy hero light up your household, then check out the official Prime 1 Studios website for pre-order information. Finance plans are also available to help buyers spread out the cost in the lead-up to Dante's launch �which?? is tentatively scheduled for late-2022 / early-2023. A format size for either edition was not revealed.

Prime 1 Devil May Cry Dante realistic?? half scale statue will cost $4300 [Siliconera]

The post Prime 1’s sexy Devil May Cry Dante statue is rockin’ a $4300 price tag appeared first on Destructoid.

A community blog by Kerrik52

_{[Destructoid reader Kerrik52 writes about the ways in which games have used lore to varying degrees of success. A fascinating topic that spans some of my �and many of your �favorite games. Dig in. -Jordan]}

A little while back, I wrote a bit about how different games us?e crafting systems. So with the 10-year anniversary of Dark Souls inching ever clos?er, I thought it prudent to do the same for lore. I can't say I've seen much discourse on the subject, so hopefully I'll be able to write something novel or interesting. Maybe even both!

As before, let's start with defining what the hell we're talking about here. Urban Dictionary (the most reputable of sources, I know) defines it as ??"The collective history and the sum of all knowledge available about a certain fantasy or sci-fi universe," which sounds about right for our purposes.

Expanding on that, I'd say it's any piece of story in a game not touched on by the main plot. So if you have a characte??r that's only around for a scene or two to serve a direct purpose (dying, exposition, boss fight), then their backstory presented in a log two hours later is lore. It's extra information available to give the setting more texture and prove that the character has a place in the world beyond their role in the plot.

With the two flavours of story (plot and lore) being separate, a game can naturally do one better than the other. A game can have the main story be really engaging but have terrible lore notes (like No One Lives Forever) or the plot can be as flat a dinner table and have all the good bits in the menu and loading screens (hello there, Dark Souls). There? are probably games out there that do both well, but no?ne come to mind at the moment.

Just as with crafting ??systems, I don't find it interesting to merely single out good and bad uses of lore. Instead, ?I'm gonna group together various approaches to lore and let that carry the discussion. But enough preamble, let's get talky!

Lore In The Manual

For a long time, putting ?a majority of a game's plot in the manual was the only way to go due to memory limitations. But instead of focusing on decades worth of games that put most (if not all) of the story in th?e manual, I wanna talk about games that put extra details in the manual when they didn't need to.

I'm thinking mainly of fifth and sixth-gen games here, as that's when devs got enough freedom to put a decent amount of words in their games, but before they turned their back on manuals entirely. So what ende?d up in the manual back then wasn't vital information to understanding the plot, but instead nifty extra information that would be difficult to slot into the game without it being awkward.

Looking over some manuals I have, it's most common to have a few paragraphs of worldbuildin?g that lead directly into the plot plus some character profiles explaining some interesting (but superfluous) details. Though even under such restrictions, some games still manage to have fun with it.

Muppet Monster Adventure frames the character bios of the bosses as in-character monologues directed towards the protagonist Robin. And for Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, the manual i??s styled after the titular book with the whole thing being framed as a dialogue between Sly and Bentley, giving you a taste of their interactions before playing.

I haven't done a deep-dive into the greatest manuals ever made, so if any special ones come to mind, be sure to tell me about them. I've heard that PC game manuals are the stuff of legend. But I wanna at least highlight the stuff that ended up in the manuals of Kojima's games. I've seen tutorial comics, timelines, and even a reference glossary. I'm pretty sure you won't even know what the title of Zone of the Enders? means unless you che??ck out the manual for details on what the hell an Ender is.

I'm of two minds on this. Manuals are rad and certainly more interesting than in-game codex entries and summaries of previous gam??es, especially when there's some good art on display. Not to mention that putting stuff there can help with a game's pacing, since the devs can assume you already read the manual. But I can't help but think that my perspective is heavily clouded by nostalgia here.

It's more efficient to have everything related to the game in the game (otherwise you can end up in the Taro-hole with its canon stageplays or the many CD dramas Japan is so fond of), especially since manuals can be lost. I've often been disappointed when opening up second-hand ??game cases only to find a mere disc, never to know what fun tidbits the manua??l had.

I think the way to go to make everyone happy is to standardize digital manuals or at least put in more extra content in games. Tell me that Hollow Knight wouldn't be better if there was a Zote comic in the main menu, or that it wouldn't be neat if you could unlock the lore bible XSEED used to maintain consistency when translating the Trails games after you beat Trails of Cold Steel. I'd ?be ??interested in seeing anything that'd help me engage with the world of the game better.

I suppose what I'm arguing for here is "that extra touch" over better storytelling, but I'd say stuff like th??at would make games easier to connect with, which technically does make a story better, if only su??bjectively.

Lore As A Direct Reward

Depending on who you ask, any extra lore can be considered a reward, but I'm singling out Arkham Asylum specifically here due to the sheer amount of extraneous effort that went into the lore pages?? and interview tapes in the game.

While the tapes are arguably main story material that exists to give you a better understanding of the game's six active villains, the biographies of the rest of them is very much not. With Batma??n's storied (Read: convoluted) history, getting to grips with his rogue's gallery is a herculean effort.

So I was surprised to find out that I enjoyed reading the biographies of all of these D-??listers. You get a nice illustration, some basic information like their first appearance in comics, their back??story, and their relationship with Batman. They really managed to distill decades of history into the most engaging bits without necessitating an extensive wiki dive. That's probably why the series is so successful overall.

Now, this approach probably wouldn't fly for most games, as without a strong and diverse setting that people either have an interest in before playing or some really stellar worldbuilding, putting lore as the reward for a challenge could very easily backfire. Arkham Asylum does give out exp in anticipation of people who don't care about th?e lore, but even that might not be enough to motivate a player if?? the setting is boring enough.

Lore As Flavour

This is incredibly subjective, but I have a pai?r of games here where the lore didn??'t resonate with me as writing. Instead, it feels better to describe it as a tone-setter.

The first game is Bastion, which is drenched in lore for each area you explore courtesy of the game's famous narrator. But since everything in the game is told through hi?s narration, I found it difficult to connect with the plot, especially when he narrates where one would expect normal dialogue instead. That's obviously intentional and does lend the whole game this unique feel of degradation, isolation, a??nd otherworldy-ness.

The other game that I think fits into this category is Thief: The Dark Project, which opens each mission intro cutscene with a religious passage or ancient letter from one of the game's factions. The text is ??often kinda difficult to map to the current mission and can easily be disregarded as fluff (even though there is some meaning and foreshadow??ing to be parsed from it).

But even taken as simple fluff, these quotes do an excellent job of making the setting feel grander than quaint presentation would suggest. Like there's this giant disaster looming over T??he City, which very much the ?case.

There's an argument to be had about style over substance (especially when intended substance gets interpreted as style), but I'm of the opinion that if there's enough groundwork there, then a game is free to prattle on up its own ass as much as it wants to. I think Thief succeeds over Bastion in this regard because the main character Garret gives you a good leg to stand in with the setting, whereas the Kid and the narrator i??n Bastion are difficult to connect to.

Lore As A Monster Guide

To my recollection, not? many games put a ??lot of effort into their monster lists, and even fewer manage to add something interesting to make them worth perusing. With a lot of monsters being designed as obstacles first and little thought being given to their ecology. What you usually get is a quick blurb about what they eat or how they attack.

Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando has a Monsterpedia, which does include some mildly en??tertaining descriptions and worldbuilding. But it's not as good as I remember it being, so I finally understand why it didn't make it to the next game.

A game that's really good about its monster guide is Devil May Cry. In that game, not only do you get lore about the monsters, you get specific combat tips that fill out as you g?et hit by rare attacks or manage to exploit a weakness. So if you accidentally get a critical hit, you can then check the relevant file for a description of what just happened. I find this to be an excellent way of helping the player master the game's enemies without being overbearing.

Ther?e's a lot of potential in this ??department, as the monsters you spend a whole game fighting would serve the game better by being more interesting to learn about. While it's hard to make the ecology of your monsters interesting (especially if they don't really make sense to begin with), I think a neat shortcut would be to have a character in the game describe them for you.

That way, it'd be easier to write, as you don't need to think up perfect descriptions and you can use it as an opportunity to develop the character in question, highlighting what they like and dislike about the various monsters. Now that I think about it, Eternal Darkness did this to great effect in one chapter by having a character perform autopsies on defeated monsters. The Suffering did something similar and The Darkness 2?? had a character prattle on about various magical artifacts you collect in an entertaining fashion, so there are devs out there with the right idea.

Lore As Gameplay

Here's a fun (if sadly rare) way of using lore. By connecting it to the gameplay, you incentivize the character to care about it, which can lead to greater appreciation for the story. It can also backfire like in Ziggurat, where the lore gives you exp (or a whole leve??l with a speci?fic perk card), but is so disconnected from the game that I didn't care about it at all aside from its gameplay benefits.

There are ways of making it work, like in Alpha Protocol where you can collect informatio?n about various people and organizations. For the most part it's just extra info, but if you collect enough, you can easily get the upper hand in a conversation, which feels great, since information is usually pretty expensive to acquire.

Then you have the whole immersive sim genre, which is built on the ability to steal passwords and passcodes from various notes and emails in order to more easily progress. You can usually hack your way through these problems, but if your skills are not up to task, stealing information is a fun alt??ernative.

Implementing information into gameplay is difficult, but it has seen some success. If I were to pick out a place where it could be really great, it'd be in western RPGs. Some of them do let you skip steps or try alternate quest paths by collecting information, but from what I know, it's never a standardized mechanic outside of Alpha Protocol. So if more western RPGs were to allow for better sleuthing, I think the genre would b??e a bit more exciting.

Lore Dumps As A Cost-Saving Measure

Here we are in the realm of main story stuff again, but depending on where you draw the line, it can still be considered lore. I'm mostly thinking of the aggressive lore dumps in the Metal Gear serie?s, but there are some other examples that I can think of as well.

Metal Gear is infamous for its lengthy cutscenes and a lot of that is due to the sheer amount of detail Kojima wants to shove down your throat. Having access to that information is nice and there is a ce??rtain charm to letting go of your controller to listen to a gigantic speech about destiny, genes, and nanomachines cut to still images or minimal animation.

But in many scenes, it becomes apparent that the characters serve as mediums for whatever Kojima read about that week instead of having the information contextualize the characters. It's a fine line between what accentuates the plot and what's j??ust military trivia. Restraint is important.

Then you have games like Resident Evil and Onimusha, with very st??raightforward plots that feature some inexplicable bullshit, be it monsters or strange environments. In order to make the journey more believable, there are a ton of documents to discover, which hastily address curren??t or upcoming things.

It can feel a little bit weak to lean on text so much, though I like it when Trails games cut to the newspaper after huge events occur. But it's a case-by-case thing, as sometimes you can just feel the budget drop with the arrival of a plot/lore dump (like in Xenogears). Other times, like in Amnesia: The Dark Descent, it feels perfectly natural to scour? the levels for side stories on the way to the next mai?n plot point.

I think the key lesson here is to make sure that everything forcibly presented to the player flows properly so that even those only interested in a quick playthrough can keep up. Then you can add more material to explain details for ??those that are truly in??terested.

Metal Gear started doing this with Peace Walker by making a bunch of conversation tapes optional but also non-missable, which I think was for the better. A shame about the follow-up, The Phantom Pain, not being able to have much of a main plot and instead having to rely on said tapes for its story. I think that game is a perfect example of how? important it is to nail the main plot before putting in extra side sto??ries.

Lore As A Giant Tease

When making a setting, it's natural for certain past events to sound incredibly interesting?? when described. So much?? so that one would want a game exploring that part, even if it wouldn't really work as a game.

I'm mainly thinking of two franchises here, Devil May Cry and Castlevania. For Castlevania, there's the battle of 1999, which is when Dracula finally dies after getting resurrected 1267 times. To delegate such momentous occasion to the backstory of Aria of Sorrow is such a tease. Knowing modern Konami, I doubt they could do it justice, but what few det?ails we get makes it sound so damn cool.

Devil May Cry's tease of similar magnitude is what the hell happened to Dante's father Sparda. He was a demon who "woke up to justice," sealed away the demon world, and fell in love. Then he just went fucking poof. He is presum??ably dead, but nothing in the games says that's the case. It's so weird to have this intrinsic part of the mythology never come to light.

Now, n?ot cashing in on a promising idea may seem like a waste, but I totally get not wanting to risk it. If you screw it up, then people are going to riot. If you simply leave it be, then people can use their imagination to fill in the blanks. That way, you save yourself both the effort and the associated risk.

You can look to the Metal Gear games starring Big Boss for an example on how this can play out. MGS3 is great, but even that brings about retcons that very much change the context of Big Boss compared to the legend you hear about in the previous game. It's a mixed bag that rea??lly shows the difficulties of writing backwards.

Lore As Fanservice

When you have a big franchise, a text document hidden somewhere is a very efficient way of giving closure to old characters or confirm that they haven't been forgotten and are still doing stuff. For example, there's a very minor character in Trails in the Sky 3rd Chapter named ??Leo who shows up as an author of a modern history b?ook in a later game, giving him a small, but still evident place in the world after he goes off-screen.

I'm pretty sure that the Dead Space franchise takes things even further by putting references to characters from the series' impressive range of multi-media content in Dead Space 2 and 3. That's really neat, but to get something out of that, you'd need to be a super fan of the series, which I personally found difficult. Both due to how inaccessible said media was to a European pl??ayer getting ??into the series around when it died (where can I watch the animated movie and how can I play the iPhone game now?) and my perceived notion of said media's lesser quality.

Without the pizazz of a full game release, I find it difficult to care about the characters in something like Dead Space, especially when most if not all of them end up as monster food. The multi-media approach is valid, but it really needs to work with the setting and get the proper amount of care and money. Otherwise, you can very easily end up like Dead Space, where the multi-media?? content props up the expectations for the main ga??mes, thus making perceived sales failures more likely.

Anyway, back to the main point. As with all fanservice, moderation is key. It's best to only do it when it really matters or when you know people will flip when they see a reference to an old thing. Shouldn't be too hard to make that call, but you could end up making something like Dark Souls 3, which is built on a foundation of fanservice that has no place in a setting where things are meant to be lost to time. They still do some neat things with said fanservice, but I think I'll save that for a dedicated Dark Souls write-up closer to the anniversary.

Lore As Connective Tissue

For series with standalone games that are still in the same world, it's common for there to be some small sprinklings of lore to at least pretend that it's a cohesive narrative. Ys does it and I know I don't give a shit about it because it doesn't really matter outside of 1, 2, and Origin. Once you're past those, it's just a series of increasingly absurd amount of stories ?where Adol bumbles into being the chosen warrior of yet another lost civilization?? that might be vaguely connected to the last one.

Zelda is the big example here (though the Taroverse certainly counts as well, same with the Zestiria/Berseria connection), which comes with some baggage. Now, I'm not an expert on Zelda lore, so from my perspective, it seems like they tried making a cohesive timeline up until the N64 games, then gave up and promptly tried to throw something together la?ter in order to sell the Hyrule Historia.

With the series taking place over a gigantic period of time, yet always retaining its core elements, it looks to me like it's not worth caring about how the games connect (barring direct sequels) and it's better to instead focus on how each game treats said core elements. Otherwise, you'll end up in the pit ??of despair where you care more about the series' overarching story than Nintendo ever did, forever hoping that they'll acknowledge your theories.

This approach is a valid, if lazy choice, since it communicates that you care about the world players have become invested in, if only a little bit. Being more detailed leads to a more imp?ressive series, but that makes it both harder to make and pick up as it goes along, something I bet both Nintendo and Falcom are keenly ?aware of. They just wanna make adventurous games with a similar feel for as long as they can while making sure people can start playing whenever they want.

Lore As A Convoluted Nightmare

Of course, if you do value your writing over its accessibility, you can go Kingdom Hearts or fighting game route and just p??ile on lore until the series you're making becomes so incomprehensible that most people just give up and focus on the gameplay.

Obviously, the story in fighting games isn't intended to engage the player in the same way as the story in other games, but some still try. Keyword being try, as shit gets dumb fast. I challenge anyone reading to explain to me the plot of BlazBlue without getting cross-eyed.

Kingdom Hearts is something I'm more familiar with and its issues can be traced back to the series' creative lead, one Tetsuya Nomura. This man is enamoured with keeping his audience guessing and making sure just about e??very game has some surprises, even for the most dedicated fan.

The only way to do t??hat is to expand the cosmology of the series and introduce more and more inane plot devices. I used to be up to the task of keeping up, but it's gotten to the point now, especially with the mobile game, where the work-to-enjoyment ratio is completely off-the-walls.

Suffice to say, I do not care for this approac??h to lore. Fighting games get a bit of a pass, since they need to keep the characters in fighting shape across games. But for every?thing else, I just want to slap the keyboard away from the writer and force them to hire an editor.

Continuing with the Kingdom Hearts example, the series does have concrete elements that are appealing.?? It's mostly a bunch of teenage angst and cartoon shenanigans, but that's ok. The problem is the retconned bubble of bullshit it's encased in. It's the job of a writer to make the audience want to engage with the world they're connecting. The better the writer, the mor??e engaging the material, and the more of it you can justify.

But if you bite off more than you can chew and go for a grand tale you just cannot tell, sooner or late??r people are gonna look for somethin?g else to fill your niche.

Lore As A Challenge

All right, last category. And wouldn't you know it, this is where I finally get into Dark Souls. There are a lot of words out there that argue for and against the minimalist storytelling in these games. If we're being reductive, we can say that it's just cheaper to put most of the story in text. And from the other point of view, you can say that it's a way to help the player immerse themself in the world and challenge them to figure out what's going on, just like their char?acter.

I like the approach, assuming the world is interesting and ?it's actually rewarding to learn about it. There are two layers at work here to make that happen. The first is what's explicitly written in the text. This is where you'll get most of your information and a bunch of basic information, which isn't terribly interesting in a lot of item descriptions. For example, the bosses that simply exist for a fight get enoug??h of an explanation to make sense of, but they're not interesting beyond that. The Bell Gargoyles guard a bell, the Gaping Dragon likes to eat, and the Iron Golem runs on ground-up dragon bone.

You can get some interesting stuff straight from the descriptions (particularly in the DLC), but the real kicker comes in when you combine certain pieces of information and environmental details to draw conclusions. A lot of stuff about the world becomes a lot more interesting when you do this. Figuring out what happened to the gods of Anor Londo, Queelag's motivation, Griggs' identity, the true nature? of Humanity and bonfires, what a Bottomless Box is, and where the first part of the DLC is feels awesome.

Stuff like that is great, but not as common as one would hope. I actually had difficulty thinking up good examples, since a lot of information is either straightforward ("Shit's bad in this way because this happened") or simply missing?? (which is by design to allow room for interpretation). I'm not surprised about this, since it's difficult to present mysteries with satisfying conclusions constantly. And if they were more common, they probably wouldn't feel as special.

But it's important that they're there nonetheless, as they provide an incentive to engage with the setting. Souls-likes like Salt & Sanctuary and Remnant: From the Ashes only have one or two interesting conclusions to draw each as far as I know, which is probably why I found their worlds less engaging. It's a real tightrope to make a setting interesting while splitting up the story for the player to piece together??.

Conclusions

I think I've made good use of my words ?to discuss why other people's words can make a game better. But as I hope I've proven, it's simply not a ma?tter of writing well. You need to think of when and why to tell the player something and figure what needs to be force-fed and what is better left optional.

As with anything,? lore is a tool, which can be used both creatively and destructively. One hopes the industry will put some more weight on the efforts of their writers, since when things click and the player gets a good world to learn about, they'll probably be fans for life. That obviously won't happen, but a man can dream.

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Down, R, Up, L, Y, B, X, A

Capcom has released its latest financial earnings report and, in news that will come as no surprise to anybody, the long-time developer/publisher's fortunes continue to soar. The new report records a fourth consecutive ye??ar de??livering record-breaking sales figures for the company, thanks to quality new releases and continued steady sales of its back catalogue.

For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, overall net sales increased 16.8% on the previous year, raking in just over ¥95 million (or roughly $876 million USD).? Meanwhile, operating income skyrocketed 51.6% on the previous year, which translates to around ¥34.5 billion (or roughly $317 million). This figure represents the eighth consecutive year that Capcom's oper??ating income has grown, with the company forecasting growth to ¥42 million by 2022.

Capcom's core "Digital Contents" division sees the lion's share of the sales. 2020 remake Resident Evil 3 and 2021 Nintendo Switch release Monster Hunter Rise were both smash hits for the publisher, while Monster Hunter World and its expansion, Iceborne) — Capcom's most successful release of all-time — continues to see sales over three years on from its initial release. Quietly adding to the coffers in the background are dynamic actioner Devil May Cry V, 2019 remake Resident Evil 2, and Capcom's beleaguered-but-steadfast Street Fighter V.

Last week saw the launch of Resident Evil Village, one of Capcom's most anticipated releases in some time. Switch-owning Monster Hunter fans can look forward to Monster Hunter Stories 2 this summer, and it remains an open secret that Street Fighter VI has long been in development. While 2020 brought Capcom misfortune in the form of a serious ransomware attack,? it seems that the legendary studio ?has much to celebrate for the past 12 months, with the party set to continue into 2022 and gaming's newest generation.

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Tributes for 'one of the nicest and most giving talents in the voiceover business'

Brad Venable, a vo??ice over artist known for extensive work in TV and video games, passed away earlier this week at the age of 43. The news was broken on social media on January 8, with heartfelt tributes pouring in from many of his friends and colleagues within the industry.

Venable's talent has been showcased in popular anime, TV series, and video game franchises since the early '00s. While Venable's most prolific roles include that of V's familiar Griffon in Devil May Cry 5, and Kostas and Nader in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, his extensive work within the industry has also seen Venable cast in Final Fantasy VII Remake, World of Warcraft, and Shenmue III, as well as TV series such as Attack on Titan, Hero Mask, and Aggretsuko.

Speaking on Twitter, voice artist Terry Daniel remembered V??enable as "One of the nicest and most giving talents in the voice over business. [Brad] was ?a sweetheart of a man and would help you with anything you needed. Ridiculously talented and a real treasure."

Cristina Vee also paid tribute to Venable, recalling that he "always had a smile and a kind word to say" and noting that he was "a f??oundation in our community and he left too soon."

Further eulogies were offered by actors, Darrel J. Delfin, Brian Olvera, Khoi Dao, and Erica Mendez, many of whom reflected on Venable's talents and skills in the field of voice acting, but all of whom spoke of his kindness, generosity, and helpful, high-spirited nature. Succinctly, Chris Hackney said "Brad was kindness. Brad was light. Brad was talented. Brad was hu??mble. Brad was everything and more."

We at Destructo??id offer our sincere condolences to his friends and f??amily.

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Vergil's devil trigger is full

Devil May Cry 5 was an absolute triumph.

Don't take it from me, read our review! Oh wait, that was me. Well, take it from me.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is pretty good too.

So most people who know me well are aware of the fact that I'm an action game fiend. I own basically every "classic" action romp known to man, and the stylish symphony of the Devil May Cry series had its tendrils in ?me as soon as I got my hands on it. I can remember watching ??combo videos and trailers for this franchise in sub-240p ages ago. I'm glad it's still around.

So when I say the Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition speaks to me, I know the prospect of buying the game all over again won't appeal to everyone. In fact, since existing owners can buy the Vergil DLC piecemeal on December 15, it's possible that you can skip this entirely. For everyone who wants to jump into DMC5 for the first time or plans on playing it annuall??y, making a trade-up wouldn't be the worst idea.

There are a few things at play here with this version: technical/visual upgrades (turbo mode at 1.2x speed, ray tracing, 4K, quicker l??oad times), the ability to play through the game as Vergil, and a new insane "Legendary Dark Knight" mode that's custom-tailored for hardcore players.

Here's a quick rundown of the core graphical options (120 FPS i?s also available if your TV supports it):

• 4K/30FPS (with ray tracing)
• 4K/60FPS (no ray tracing)
• 1080p/60FPS (with ray tracing)

Options: they rule! Whether you're a casual player who's going at it on Easy Automatic and just wants to take in the sights, or a hardcore DMC fiend who absolutely needs to pla??y at 60FPS, there are ways to experience each facet of the remaster individually. Ray tracing looks great in the special edition, especially in its 4K format (which should be doable in 30FPS for most difficulty settings below hard). After enjoying ray tracing in each zone, I gravitated t?oward 60FPS, personally.

The content is really what matters though, and Legendary Dark Knight mode is a very peculiar option that feels suitable for the enhanced performance. Basically, the screen is filled with enemies throughout the campaign from the very start of the game. Some are canon fodder, some spawns involve foes that are minibosses much later in the story (like meeting multiple Sins way before one appears normally). If you've mastered every aspect of Devil May Cry 5, it's a fun challenge to take on.

Vergil, however, is clearly the main draw and he mostly delivers. He feels "complete" from the minute you get him with a host of unique moves (like several Devil Trigger nuances, including a clone that you can loosely manage, an ultimate that lets him turn into V, and a proper devil form) across three weapons: the Yamato (his signature), Beowulf (the fist weapons from DMC5 proper), and the Mirage Edge blade. The Yamato is the crowning achievement here, as it allows Vergil to not only kick ass effectively, but do it in style: the marriage of the two is classic DMC.

I found myself finishing entire levels with it, utilizing its gap closers and aerial rave potential to constantly command stylish ratings. The latter is sort of a buffer weapon in that with a few exceptions, it operates a lot like Dante's standard Rebellion sword. Meanwhile, Beowulf is a great middle-ground that enables a lot of cool combos. Just know t??hat for the most part, the game plays out exactly the same: like in the past, Vergil is fully-featured, but kind of just inserted in.

At $40, it's feasible to sell your preowned copy of Devil May Cry 5 for around $15 and knock a few bucks off the special edition upgrade price. But as I alluded to earlier, you can also wait and just pick up the Vergil DLC on current-generation platforms. The choice is up to you, but I'm happy with the change. As a reminder, t??here are no plans for a PC version...yet.

_{[These impressions are based on a PS5 version of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Get set for more Smokin' Sexy Style

If you're waiting to see bad boy Vergil make his debut in Capcom's Devil May Cry 5, then the publisher has a few dates for your calendar. While the stylish, silver-haired antagonist will as part of PS5 and Xbox Series X release Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition on launch day, he wil?l be a little late to the party on PS4 and Xbox One, ultimately arriving on December 15.

In addition to this news, Capcom has also confirmed that the Xbox Series S version of Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition will not? feature ray-tracing effects. Regardless, Capcom is assuring all Xbox players that both the Series X and Series S editions of the game will run at "high frame rates up to 120FPS."

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is a revamped version of 2019's highly acclaimed hack 'n' slash sequel. Special Edition will feature upgraded visuals, all previously released DLC, and two new battle-hardened challenges - Legendary Dark Knight Mode and Turbo Mode - in order to provide the definitive experien??ce for the Triple S adventure.

An update on ray tracing for #DevilMayCry 5 Special Edition on Xbox Series X|S. pic.twitter.com/OCRcGRw5bl

— Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition (@DevilMayCry) October 27, 2020

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For instance: you can turn off ray tracing to reach 4K/60fps

When it comes to a series like Devil May Cry, you're gonna want to crank that frame rate as high as it'll go – or maybe not! Maybe you'd prefer to have ray-traced reflections and other bells ??a?nd whistles.

We knew the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X release of Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition would offer at least a few choices – a godsend for anyone who has strong opinions about prioritizing performance over visuals, or vice versa – but today Capcom clarified wha?t kind of options we can expe?ct.

Here's a recap, as relayed by Capcom's William Yagi-Bacon on ResetEra:

Ray tracing on

• 4K/30fps or 1080p/60fps

Ray tracing off

• 4K/60fps or "up to 120fps" in High Framerate Mode

As far as these options go for a console release, I'm pretty dang pleased. Ray tracing can be a sight to behold, but it's even better when it's a choice. And when it comes to Devil May Cry 5 specifically, hitting 4K and 60 frames per se??cond is going to be so slick. I'm ready to see some Legendary Dark Knight runs.

A bit of housekeeping: ray tracing won't show up in the Xbox Series X version until sometime after launch, and "object rendering is? prioritized and ray-tracin?g is automatically disabled when High Framerate Mode is enabled, or when playing in Turbo or Legendary Dark Knight gameplay modes."

Asked about the timing of the Vergil-only DLC for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Yagi-Bacon said that Capcom will have more info to share "in the coming weeks." DMC5SE is releasing digitally for Xbox Series X on November 10 and PlayStation 5 on November 12. A physical version is coming on December 1.

I have to say, despite owning a 4K TV, I'll be fine with 1080p gaming f?or the foreseeab??le future.

[Via Gematsu]

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On both PS5 and Xbox Series X

Look, Devil May Cry 5 is fantastic; and I can't wait to play it again with enhanced visuals, even?? if the PC crowd is left out of the party this time around. The Special Edition is looking great so far, but i??f you really want to go the collector's route, you'll have to wait a bit.

The digital editions of the game are arriving on November 10 on Xbox Series X and November 12 on PS5, but Capcom has just announced that the physical versions won't ship until December 1. It's a small wait and likely due to production issues, but if you're keen on collecting Dante??'s exploits like me, you may want to hold off. C??onsider this your PSA: the physical edition not only exists, but it's com??ing a bit later!

Out of all of the enhancements, like every other Special Edition that includes Vergil, I'm looking forward to the inclusion of another playstyle the most. Turbo Mode is also going to be rad as a new default. As a reminder, Vergil will be coming to the prior versions of the game eventua??lly.

Devil May Cry 5 [Twitter]

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He pulled the devil trigger on that Walmart lawn and garden sale

The Devil May Cry 5 modding scene ??has been vibrant ever since it was released, and these pa?st few weeks have been no exception.

It all started with a series of tweets that eventually became a mod: the idea of Vergil's decadent endgame throne getting replaced by those scrape-prone plastic lawn and garden chairs. It's such a small touch, but when it plays out (like in Franctastic's video below) it perfectly fits the otherwise dour mood that t??he scene otherwise exudes.

This is partially why so many folks are up in arms about the lack of a proper PC port for Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition. I want to see 4K60FPS mods for the "armies of enemies" mechanic?. Maybe a 4K lawn chair? At the very least, previous platforms are getting Vergil as DLC.

So you can just imagine&??nbsp;the cha??ir and get all of the Vergil benefits.

Vergil Chair [Nexus Mods]

pic.twitter.com/y7yr6VkwYl

— franc (@franctastic_) September 25, 2020

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Vergil has always been one of the best parts of this series

What are some of my favorite moments in any game, ever? Well, Devil May Cry 3 steals away multiple slots for me.

The rush of figuring out that a second player can pick up and play Vergil alongside of Dante in that pivotal moment near the end of the game? Priceless. The humanoid confrontation with Vergil at the very end that showcases some of the best aspects of Devil May Cry's combat? Also classic.

So when Vergil shows up in any Devil May Cry as a playable character, I perk my head up. He was a blast to play in the third game's special edition, and epitomized the "stylish" mentality of the series. He was also arguably the best part of DmC: Devil May Cry when he entered the fray via DLC, and the combo videos for Devil May Cry 4's Vergil appearance can get pretty crazy.

We now know that he's set to re-appear in the special edition of Devil May Cry 5. At that time, we also got a brief glimpse of his new theme: "Bury the Light." Since then the song has been widely released on multiple marketplaces, including Spotify. Give it a listen!

??Although Vergil is coming to the current generation in the form of DLC, the? special edition is one of the few "next-gen console exclusives" in terms of visual fidelity and mech??anical enhancements. I'm stoked to play it.

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Good news if you're not upgrading

Back when Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition was first revealed on So??ny's recent PS5 stream, there was a lingering questi??on: what will become of the previous generation?

That query was briefly answered, buried near the bottom of the PlayStation Blog post, stating: "And if you own DMC5 on PS4 stay tuned, the Playable Character: Vergil Paid DLC will be available at a later date." Vague! And neither hide nor hair of the Xbox One edition. But thanks to a ??recent TGS Live stream from Capcom, we now have a defin??itive answer.

The stream confirms that the playable Vergil component, arguably the most important piece of the new Special Edition package, is coming to PS4 and Xbox One eventually as "premium DLC." Capcom says that much of the actual visual upgrades are exclusive to the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but at least original Devil May Cry 5 buyers will be able to experience the main attract??ion down the? line.

Just (weirdly) don't expect it to come to PC in the near future.

Capcom TGS Live [YouTube via VG247]

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Maybe...one day?

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition is on Steam. Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition is on Steam. Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition...is skipping PC entirely, at least for now.

Unveiled during Sony's PS5 event last week, we found out that DMC5 wa?s making the Special Edition leap like several iteration?s before it, complete with the classic playable Vergil add-on. Shortly after Capcom announced that the re-release would also hit the Xbox Series X, but what about PC? It's not looking good for the near future.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Capcom explained: "Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is specifically being developed and optimised to benefit the system architecture and leap in processing power offered by PS5 and Xbox Series X, so we're focusing on these platforms. At present, there are no plans to release DMC5SE on PC."

It's a strange situation as there doesn't seem to be any exclusivity deal involved, and Devil May Cry 5 looks to have sold well enough to warrant the Special Edition treatment on all thre?e platforms. But given that Capc??om's teams are probably spread thin at the moment, a future PC version could be directly linked to the sales of the console releases.

Capcom says Devil May Cry 5 Specia?l Edition won't come to PC [Eurogamer]

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