The Onimusha series was probably a mainstream one back in its heyday, but following the fourth release, Dawn of Dreams, the series has been dormant for over two decades. So it’s a bit surprising to see that Capcom announced that the fifth entry, Way of the Sword, sold over a million copies on launch day. The good news is that the success of the game gives the publisher a good reason to bring back dormant IPs that have been sitting in the company warehouse.
In an Investor Relations press release, the publisher says that “in addition to regularly releasing major new titles each year, Capcom is focusing on re-activating IPs that haven’t had a new title launch recently. The company is working to further maximise corporate value by leveraging its rich library of content, including this title”, referring to Onimusha: Way of the Sword. The publisher also says that this brings the series’ cumulative sales to over 10 million units.
Telling investors that the company will bring back dormant IPs is all well and good. But as GamesIndustry.biz points out, Capcom has said the same thing before. The report notes that almost identical language was used back in a December 2024 investor release, when Onimusha: Way of the Sword was first announced, and the company has told investors as far back as 2019 that part of its long-term plans was unlocking value from its older IPs.
All that may have led to some disappointment along the way. This is especially true for fans of Dino Crisis, who thought they were getting either a remake or a new entry a few years ago, only to be greeted with Exoprimal instead. If Capcom is really serious about reviving old IPs, well, there’s certainly a treasure trove of titles waiting to see the light of day beyond Dino Crisis, such as Darkstalkers, Breath of Fire, and Lost Planet, just to name a few.
(Source: Capcom, GamesIndustry.biz)
