The first rumor about an RE online game came up in 2000 (!) already. At that time it was planned that RE4 is this game. It got a bit quiet about it in the next two years and then Outbreak was revealed at E³ 2002.
At that time everyone knew that RE4 will be a solo game again and Capcom decided to create an extra series, titled RE Outbreak to bring the Resident Evil online experience to the fans.
The japanese release was in December 2003. Outbreak got good marks and it did sell very well for a game which’s main purpose is the online mode.
In March 2004, the US version hit the shelves. What about the PAL/european version you ask? It’s sheduled for a September 2004 (!) release, almost one year after the original release in Japan. And thats not all… It WILL NOT come with the online mode! European players won’t be able to play the game online. Capcom already announced a second chapter of Outbreak which will come fall 2004. So when japan gets the sequel, european players just started doing Outbreak 1, but only in offline mode…
And then they wonder why it does not sell well enough in Europe…
Release Dates: December 2003 (Japan) || March 2004 (US) || September 2004 (PAL/Europe)
