In the word of Alanis Morrisette, it’s AI-RAHN-ICK! For a series whose primary focus is on fighting the not so dearly departed, there’s still plenty of life left in Resident Evil 2’s shambling carcass. The recent remake has proven this, as Capcom’s return to Raccoon City hasn’t just been a hit with critics, but also a sales darling with fans from all walks of life as well.
Twenty years after the original game released, Capcom is reporting that over three million units of the game have been shipped out so far. Shipped, not sold, mind you. Still, it’s a heck of an achievement, and one that Capcom says will put the game in line to equal the sales of Resident Evil 7. “Further, with Resident Evil 7 biohazard (released in January 2017) having now gone on to sell a cumulative 6 million units, Capcom looks to achieve similar, long-term sales for Resident Evil 2 as well,” Capcom said in a press release.
It still remains to be seen how digital sales factor into these sales, but the future looks rosy for Resident Evil and the inevitable remake of its third core chapter. As for the history of the franchise when compared to previous releases? Here’s a quick gander at lifetime sales, just for interest’s sake:
- Resident Evil (1996) – 5.3 million lifetime sales across all platforms
- Resident Evil 2 (1998) – 6.1 million lifetime sales across all platforms
- Resident Evil 3 – 3.5 million lifetime sales across all platforms
- Resident Evil Remake (2002, 2014 and 2015) – 4.2 million lifetime sales across all platforms
- Resident Evil 0 –3.2 million lifetime sales across all platforms
- Resident Evil 4 – 8.2 million lifetime sales across all platforms
- Resident Evil 5 – 12.1 million lifetime sales across all platforms
- Resident Evil 6 – 8.7 million lifetime sales across all platforms (Why did so many of you buy this?)
- Resident Evil 7 – 6 million lifetime sales across all platforms
In other Resident Evil 2 news, if you’re looking to pad out your tour of Raccoon City, then good news! A February free update will throw the Ghost Survivors DLC at your face, giving you the chance to see how certain characters would have fared in the zombie takeoever, had their faces not been completely gnawed off by the hungry blighters that ran rampant throughout the city.
Three of those scenarios await you, come February 15. How romantic.
Last Updated: January 30, 2019
