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It’s theorized that when it comes to video games, if your game sells over one million copies, it’s considered a major hit. Shortly after the release of Resident Evil 6, we reported that it had shipped 4.5 million copies. Clearly, the game was on its way to being the most commercially successful game in the franchise’s history. RE6 sits in fifth place on The Platinum List, a list of games selling over 1 million copies.
In total, there are 56 games on the list, each one of which has sold over one million copies. On that list, Resident Evil appears 17 times. To put that in perspective, Street Fighter, Capcom’s other super-popular always fresh franchise appears only nine times. To say that Resident Evil is an important franchise to Capcom would probably be an understatement. To say that Resident Evil is the most important franchise to Capcom might be a little more on the mark. When a franchise sells as much as Resident Evil does, it’s kind of a big deal.
So how well does Resident Evil place on the Platinum List? Let’s start at the bottom.
51. Resident Evil Director’s Cut – 1,130,000
49. Resident Evil Code: Veronica – 1,140,000
46. Resident Evil DC: Dual Shock – 1,200,000
44. Resident Evil 0 – 1,250,000
42. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles – 1,300,00
39. Resident Evil – 1,350,000
36. Resident Evil – Outbreak – 1,450,000
31. Resident Evil 4 – 1,600,000
22. Resident Evil 4, Wii Edition – 1,900,000
16. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City – 2,220,000
15. Resident Evil 4 (Playstation 2) – 2,300,000
7. Resident Evil 3 Nemesis – 3,500,000
5. Resident Evil 6 – 4,500,000
3. Resident Evil 2 – 4,960,000
2. Resident Evil 5 – 5,900,000
Resident Evil 6, a game that people seemed to either love or loathe is 5th on that list, and it’s only been released for little over one month. At this rate, by next year, it may just pass Resident Evil 2. However, it’s still got a long way to go before it reaches Resident Evil 5 territory. So despite the negative reviews and doomsayers, regardless of the never-ending push towards action, the gigantic set-pieces, the dizzying plotline and the constant parade of new characters, Resident Evil 6 is a one massive success for Capcom. Add to that, it would be foolish for Capcom to end the series – not when it’s selling millions.
Unless otherwise indicated, these numbers are sales for the game on its original console. For example, the figures for Nemesis are sales from the original Playstation. Some of these figures can be attributed to the rise in popularity of video games as a whole, while others I have difficulty explaining or even accepting. If you take all of the Resident Evil 4 figures on that list and add them up, they still don’t top Resident Evil 5‘s figures. While Resident Evil 4 is not my favourite, one would be forgiven for thinking that out of all the iterations of Resident Evil 4, combined they would have trumped Resident Evil 5‘s figures.
However, they do still top Resident Evil 6’s. For now, anyway.
