capcom is undergoing a quiet yet profound transformation—no longer relying on the personal aura of “star producers,” but shifting its creative focus toward systematic, sustainable team collaboration mechanisms. in famitsu’s latest interview, president and coo haruhiro tsujimoto systematically outlined the underlying logic behind this strategic shift: it’s not about iterating on style or technology, but rather reconstructing the entire development paradigm.
over the past five years, titles such as “monster hunter: world,” “resident evil: village,” “dragon’s dogma 2,” “devil may cry 5,” and “street fighter vi” have consistently achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success (with the exception of “monster hunter stories”). while external observers have offered various explanations, tsujimoto gets straight to the heart of the matter: capcom has proactively ended its long-standing reliance on a single creator-driven “author‑centric” model, instead building a “team‑driven” system grounded in collective experience, refined processes, and intergenerational knowledge transfer.
he candidly admits, “once a series becomes tied to a particular core developer, it easily falls into path dependency. if that person leaves, the entire ip can come to a standstill. this isn’t creative freedom—it’s structural risk.” to address this, the company engaged in deep consultations with the creators of each ip, deciding to break with tradition: every sequel must return to square one and be redesigned from scratch, even if it means sacrificing short-term sales. this “reset‑style development” isn’t about starting over; rather, it institutionalizes knowledge assets, standardizes workflows, and builds a tiered talent pipeline—ensuring the ip’s vitality transcends individual lifespans.
looking back at the first half of the 2010s, capcom found itself mired in difficulties: “street fighter v” struggled upon release, “resident evil 6” saw a sharp decline in critical reception, and the reboot of “devil may cry” faced widespread skepticism. meanwhile, “asura’s wrath” and “lost planet 3” triggered financial alarms. the real turning point came in 2017 with “resident evil 7”—its first-person perspective was not just a formal innovation, but a watershed moment in development philosophy. no longer did a single “godfather‑like” figure dictate the narrative and gameplay framework; instead, multiple departments collaborated to define the boundaries of the player experience. subsequent successes like “monster hunter: world” and “resident evil 2 remake” confirmed the replicability of this new approach.
makoto utsugi created the original “resident evil,” hideki kamiya defined the aesthetic of “devil may cry,” and hideaki itsuno and yūji ishida jointly nurtured “dragon’s dogma”—each of these iconic ips bears the unmistakable mark of its creator. yet as this generation of pioneers gradually departed, capcom didn’t seek out successors; instead, it rebuilt its own “blood‑making system.” in essence, this “team‑driven” approach represents an evolutionary adaptation at the organizational level—not a matter of aesthetic preference, but an inevitable path forced by shifts in talent structures.
