This statement comes from a video interview conducted by Bloomberg on the occasion of the Tokyo Game Show 2023, which has just left the Makuhari Messe in Osaka. Haruhiro Tsujimoto speaks about Capcom’s current strategy, which is definitely in Olympic form, and intends to use it to preserve its independence. When asked if an acquisition by Microsoft is possible, Tsujimoto politely declines: “I think it is best that we remain equal partners.“If they are not cited directly, the message will also be clear to Amazon, Tencent, NetEase and other industry titans.
And the cows will be well looked after
Even so, Tsujimoto concedes that the Osaka publisher “was a target” in the past, without openly naming the interested parties – Sony perhaps? Today, the global success of the latest Resident Evil and Street Fighter 6 gives Capcom an excellent “organic growth“that its leaders wish to perpetuate. As for acquiring smaller studios, the door is also closed:”I believe we can use external partners, but we have no intention of acquiring anyone.“A position to be qualified given their acquisition of the support studio Swordcanes earlier in the year. THE chief operating officer specifies that Capcom prefers to cultivate their talents internally, a strategy that has historically paid off, particularly given the quality of their RE Engine.
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Since we’re talking about external partners, Tsujimoto also mentions their excellent relationship with Apple, citing their Apple Arcade catalog as a strong sign (no doubt he’s talking about Shinsekai: Into the Depths, the service’s launch title today delisted on iOS). The COO of Capcom takes the opportunity to polish his friends’ pumps by praising the all-powerful iPhone 15 Pro, a phone so good that it runs AAA without coughing. A promise to verify from October 30 with the iOS port of Resident Evil Village. Another notable mobile partnership is the collaboration with Niantic on the augmented reality game Monster Hunter Now, released on September 14.
Finally, Haruhiro Tsujimoto says that the AAA mobile market is a new ramp for their growth, and that mobile phones will, for him, be the key to selling 100 million Capcom games in a single year. A not so crazy objective given that the Osaka juggernaut sold 13.5 million games between April and June 2023 alone.