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Why the reboot happened

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Meg

Well-known Member
Moderator
When the new DmC game was announced I was shocked. I never thought Capcom would reboot Devil May Cry and neither did a lot of other people. However, after looking at the situation more closely I found that there were warning signs as to Capcom deciding to go with a reboot.

When the first Devil May Cry game came out it was innovative. It offered a gameplay experience not found anywhere else at that time. Gamers who are interested in innovation and do not settle for playing the same game over and over were drawn to Devil May Cry. Capcom was pleased by the success and created a sequel. However, the sequel lacked the complexity, originality, and spirit of the original causing the fans to become angry. Quite simply, the fanbase was made up of people who wanted and so expected a high quality experience from the new game and Capcom did not deliver.

This is most likely because 80% of the young adult population (the age group that plays Devil May Cry) follow the herd and like something because it’s “cool” and not because they really like it, or because the thing has merit. The first DMC game was considered cool and so Capcom tried to make a game that pleased gamers within the 80% of the population that would be more likely to blindly love it, but what Capcom didn’t realize is that DMC’s fans existed in the other 20%. This caused DMC2 to backfire.

Basically, Capcom thought they could get away with a half-baked sequel because they didn’t understand just what kind of fanbase they had gained with the first Devil May Cry.

Some years later and Capcom put out Devil May Cry 3. This game took the over the top action of the first game and amplified it while also adding in a style system. The game went over well with fans and is even considered the best in the series by the majority of fans. This game worked because it played to the fanbase. It offered something new and different, which is what the DMC fanbase wants out of a game.

Then in 2008 Capcom released Devil May Cry 4. While the game is technically sound with tight gameplay and gorgeous graphics and despite it being the best selling game in the series it still did not go over well with the fans. The reason being is Nero. Capcom read the Devil May Cry fanbase wrong again. While the fanbase demanded new ideas with each game a level of attachment to Dante also grew. So, when Capcom tried something new by creating Nero and his Devil Bringer arm, doing what it thought would please the fans, it backfired again.

Quite simply, the reboot is the easy way out.

It had become clear to Capcom that the Devil May Cry audience had very high standards and expectations for each new game in the series. In order for a game to go over well it had to be spectacular and bursting with new ideas. However, considering the fact that DMC2 sold very well despite being considered the worst and DMC3 selling the least despite being considered the best, even if Capcom spent the time and money to create a truly amazing Devil May Cry 5 it probably wouldn’t sell very well. Meaning they would have to also make a great DMC6 in order to regain the fans support and money. And then keep the trend going by always coming up with new ways to push the genre to its limit and then beyond it. Even if they did make a DMC5 and even if it was amazing, how long could Capcom, or anyone, keep it up before they exhausted themselves of ideas, and lost the fans support again; putting them right back in the spot they were in after DMC4?

Or, they could reboot now and gain a new, easier to please, fanbase. By creating something the vast majority of the original fanbase dislikes Capcom, and now Ninja Theory, has a good chance of appealing to a new group of people with a different way of thinking and gaining a new group of fans who hopefully won’t be so demanding. Yes, they would be alienating much of the original fans in the process, but if down the line they were bound to do it anyway why bother putting in extra effort if it will get them to the same place? Instead Capcom decided to alienate now and save themselves from having trouble later.

However, by giving the game to Ninja Theory Capcom is freed from a lot of the hate the new game is getting by the original fans, giving them the chance to make a Devil May Cry 5 down the line if DmC fails to do what its supposed to. This allows Capcom to still look somewhat favorable to many fans while using Ninja Theory as a scapegoat.

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Please share your thoughts on this! ^^ However keep in mind that while all opinions are welcomed only opinions that agree with everything I said may be posted because opinions of any other kind are rude and selfish and will not be tolerated. ;););););)

Nah, please share all thoughts! :D

Note: Everything I said is my opinion based on what I read from fans and Capcom over the past couple years.
 

Kammosjuttu

Well-known Member
After reading this through (but not yet digested it fully; that takes more time) I can say there are good points in it.
 
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chocolateghost79

First of the Dead
Premium
wow meg great read! :D i would have to agree with everything you said, im a fan of all of the games, even DmC, and i believe you're right about capcom trying to move on to a fanbase easier to please, its both good and bad at the same time, because they may alienate a big group of fans that made devil may cry so popular in the first place, but its good for them in the sense that there new fans won't be as harsh and negative as the fans of the old games. again awesome read! ^.^
 
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Pale Rider

Wickedly good
I took three naps in between before fully reading it ;) :p

Anyway, good points. Though I thought something similar but could never put them to words, you did a good job doing it.

>Capcom fires the gun using NT's shoulder<
 

chocolateghost79

First of the Dead
Premium
i do feel sorry for the fans that are being left behind, but im making sure that im not one of them by seeing what nt and capcom have to offer in DmC and future projects.
 

Tony_Redgrave

TimeLord Detective
Moderator
Brilliant!
I'd like to add that after reading a question popped into my mind. "And what's to become with the old fans? Would Capcom choose to believe that their new fans would become such a vast majority that would surpass the previous fanbase?"

And I took a moment to think about it. The answer is both yes and no.

By creating something completely new they gain new fans, that much is simple and easy to understand.
However the game is still being called 'Devil May Cry'. So what do the old fans do? They protest and dislike youtube trailers and whine and all that but where does that lead them? Into buying the game. You see? Most of us will buy the game. Some of us would buy the game even if we didn't know about the Devil May Cry franchise, but now that we do? We definitely will. Why? Just to see. See and play. And if the game is good what comes next? We tell to our friends to buy it as well. So Capcom transforms us into new fans as well. Surely we may still prefer the old kick-ass Dante we already know even after playing the new game and like it. But that will not stop us liking another game if it's good. Therefore where does that leave Capcom? Into winner's side.

Now I know I just started talking to myself just now, but it was your post which inspired these thoughts, and for that I'm grateful. Because thinking rules<3

Yet again let me say it again, a brilliant post you did there!
 

Dark Drakan

Well-known Member
Admin
Moderator
By creating something completely new they gain new fans, that much is simple and easy to understand.
However the game is still being called 'Devil May Cry'. So what do the old fans do? They protest and dislike youtube trailers and whine and all that but where does that lead them? Into buying the game. You see? Most of us will buy the game. Some of us would buy the game even if we didn't know about the Devil May Cry franchise, but now that we do? We definitely will. Why? Just to see. See and play. And if the game is good what comes next? We tell to our friends to buy it as well. So Capcom transforms us into new fans as well. Surely we may still prefer the old kick-ass Dante we already know even after playing the new game and like it. But that will not stop us liking another game if it's good. Therefore where does that leave Capcom? Into winner's side.

Or they get a decent amount of new fans with the 'Reboot' then all the old fans whine and moan how its not like the DmC of old. Then Capcom announce a proper sequel and then all the old fans rejoice and both fans are finally happy with the product they have received. They gain new fans with a reboot and please old fans with the game they wanted in the first place.
 

chocolateghost79

First of the Dead
Premium
Or they get a decent amount of new fans with the 'Reboot' then all the old fans whine and moan how its not like the DmC of old. Then Capcom announce a proper sequel and then all the old fans rejoice and both fans are finally happy with the product they have received. They gain new fans with a reboot and please old fans with the game they wanted in the first place.
true. so either way DmC is a great move for capcom. if its good then it will gain alot of new fans, if its bad then it will increase the hype to create a DMC5.
 

Meg

Well-known Member
Moderator
An excellent point Mr. Redgrave! :D

I do think a lot of people who say they won't buy the game will still do it out of curiosity. I however won't because its my way of standing up for myself considering how disrespectful Capcom and NT have been to gamers. I'm stubborn. XD

Actually, I think you are right that Capcom and NT are trying to turn the old fans into new fans, r at least as many of them as possible, by saying that the game takes place in an alternate timeline. My guess is that the initial reaction to DmC was so bad that Capcom and NT got scared that they wouldn't pick up that many new fans and so now they are trying to please the old fans as well.
 

Asmodaius

Well-known Member
Very good read, Meg. ^^

I'd like to believe Capcom chose Ninja Theory because of their skills as storytellers through the videogame media, and not so they would become the scapegoats... There might be truth in what you say though, however, HOPEFULLY that's not the MAIN reason they chose NT, because if it is, then Capcom is a bunch of a-holes and then I actually feel quite sorry for NT. They really don't deserve to take all that sh*t the fans are throwing at them. I still find Capcom to be the real sinners here, if any.

So yeah, Tameem Antoniades might sound like an arrogant pr*ck, but in the end, that's just one person - a person who is being bashed over and over again by the angry fans, taking alot of hate that is not fairly put on him, so I can understand his frustration and his defensive mechanism being arrogant, trying to raise himself over all the hate which, well, makes him seem like a douchebag. It is unprofessional of him, but I can understand his situation.

A reboot might be the easy way out of all of this, but in the end, Capcom is a business. Money is a HUGE and quite important point to be considered, and as Meg stated, Capcom might know they will just end up losing money by continuing the original series, so therefore they are now trying to reach out to a new crowd with this new DmC. Yes, it has angered ALOT of the original fans, but again, I understand why Capcom is doing this. When looking at the whole situation on a professional level, Capcom is actually being smart when making this move. They are indeed being a-holes while doing so, but in the end, it is just business.

That's mostly the reason why I don't buy games based on how the developers are. Because they might not all be likeable, but that doesn't mean they aren't making great games. And making a game isn't hurting anyone, really. Only the emotional fans who get attached to a franchise, like with Devil May Cry. It is TOTALLY understandable why some fans are hating on Capcom because of this, because they liked what they had with Dante and his storyline of the original series, and now it is more or less being put on the shelf as Capcom is starting an alternative version of the series with this game.

I am supporting this game though. Not because I hate the original series, not because I hate the original Dante... On a contrary. I wish to hold on to Dante and Devil May Cry, and though I know Capcom f*cked up the original series, I am just glad to get to play as Dante once again, no matter what form he might come back as. And I will enjoy the game for what it is... A game. A source of entertainment. A new story. And meanwhile I will treasure the memories of the original games. And hey, the HD collection is also in production, right? So I will be able to play those games again, but with better graphics. It's like watching an old Disney classic cartoon on blu-ray. ^^

Aaaand now I ended up writing a wall of text as well. XD
 

Dark Drakan

Well-known Member
Admin
Moderator
Very good read, Meg. ^^

I'd like to believe Capcom chose Ninja Theory because of their skills as storytellers through the videogame media, and not so they would become the scapegoats... There might be truth in what you say though, however, HOPEFULLY that's not the MAIN reason they chose NT, because if it is, then Capcom is a bunch of a-holes and then I actually feel quite sorry for NT. They really don't deserve to take all that sh*t the fans are throwing at them. I still find Capcom to be the real sinners here, if any.

Yeah id also imagine thats correct as its still Capcom that is associated with the DMC brand and any poor game would reflect badly on their series so I dont think they would make such a poor business decision merely to scapegoat someone. Capcom need some direction and someone to stand up and take the mantle as their standards have been slipping for some time and they have hardly ever been known as the story writing powerhouses, ive never really been a fan of theirs to be honest.
 

Tony_Redgrave

TimeLord Detective
Moderator
A proper sequel would actually be awesome but I don't see it coming soon. Right now they put all their money into this 'new' DMC, so I think they're going to be sticking to it for some time. Especially if it sells as well as anticipated. Since the old fans will probably buy it too despite their protest - myself included - Capcom is (I hope not though) bound to miss why the game sold so well (going by Meg's way of thinking in that one. I'm using her logic that Capcom kept missing the point of its fanbase, to prove my point:p) and release a sequel of this DmC, before realizing that if the old fans STILL want the old Dante/DMC back, they probably won't buy the sequel.

Not complaining if I'm wrong though. I'd rather go with DD's solution.:cool:
 
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chocolateghost79

First of the Dead
Premium
Very good read, Meg. ^^

I'd like to believe Capcom chose Ninja Theory because of their skills as storytellers through the videogame media, and not so they would become the scapegoats... There might be truth in what you say though, however, HOPEFULLY that's not the MAIN reason they chose NT, because if it is, then Capcom is a bunch of a-holes and then I actually feel quite sorry for NT. They really don't deserve to take all that sh*t the fans are throwing at them. I still find Capcom to be the real sinners here, if any.

So yeah, Tameem Antoniades might sound like an arrogant pr*ck, but in the end, that's just one person - a person who is being bashed over and over again by the angry fans, taking alot of hate that is not fairly put on him, so I can understand his frustration and his defensive mechanism being arrogant, trying to raise himself over all the hate which, well, makes him seem like a douchebag. It is unprofessional of him, but I can understand his situation.

A reboot might be the easy way out of all of this, but in the end, Capcom is a business. Money is a HUGE and quite important point to be considered, and as Meg stated, Capcom might know they will just end up losing money by continuing the original series, so therefore they are now trying to reach out to a new crowd with this new DmC. Yes, it has angered ALOT of the original fans, but again, I understand why Capcom is doing this. When looking at the whole situation on a professional level, Capcom is actually being smart when making this move. They are indeed being a-holes while doing so, but in the end, it is just business.

That's mostly the reason why I don't buy games based on how the developers are. Because they might not all be likeable, but that doesn't mean they aren't making great games. And making a game isn't hurting anyone, really. Only the emotional fans who get attached to a franchise, like with Devil May Cry. It is TOTALLY understandable why some fans are hating on Capcom because of this, because they liked what they had with Dante and his storyline of the original series, and now it is more or less being put on the shelf as Capcom is starting an alternative version of the series with this game.

I am supporting this game though. Not because I hate the original series, not because I hate the original Dante... On a contrary. I wish to hold on to Dante and Devil May Cry, and though I know Capcom f*cked up the original series, I am just glad to get to play as Dante once again, no matter what form he might come back as. And I will enjoy the game for what it is... A game. A source of entertainment. A new story. And meanwhile I will treasure the memories of the original games. And hey, the HD collection is also in production, right? So I will be able to play those games again, but with better graphics. It's like watching an old Disney classic cartoon on blu-ray. ^^

Aaaand now I ended up writing a wall of text as well. XD
it was a very well-written wall of text though. :)
 

Meg

Well-known Member
Moderator
I think, Asmo, I can sum up the great point you made with something one of my professors said,

"The top five things a company is concerned with is;
1. the company
2. the company
3. the company
4. the company
5. the company"

Its a sad truth, but its still true that a company is concerned with making money and you are right, Asmo, in saying that it's making a smart business move by rebooting the series. That doesn't mean I have to like it though. ;)

And I'd like to think that Ninja Theory wasn't chosen just to be a scapegoat, but I remember Tameem saying that Enslaved's failure to do well hurt them a crapload and DmC gave them "another chance," so there is evidence to support that Capcom picked them primarily because they'd be easy to get to do the project.
 

chocolateghost79

First of the Dead
Premium
meg i like how even though you don't support the game you at least make valid points instead of just bashing the game like many others do.
 
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