KUALA LUMPUR: Capcom has reported another strong quarter for 2026 in game sales. The Japanese game maker’s two triple-A titles, Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, have sold eight million and 2.5 million units respectively.
The latter is particularly noteworthy as it is a new Capcom intellectual property and was at risk of selling fewer than a million copies, making a sequel difficult to justify.
Furthermore, the Devil May Cry series has continued to post strong sales, particularly Devil May Cry 5. Capcom attributes this to the second season of the Devil May Cry anime series.
The key takeaway from Capcom’s windfall is that the company sold more digital than physical games. Capcom’s Q1 results show that 93 per cent of all game units sold were digital.
However, the devil is in the details. The digital and physical split includes PC games, which are entirely digital, leaving customers with no physical option. PC games account for 60 per cent of the 93 per cent figure.
In summary, 17 per cent of console game sales in the Q1 report were physical copies. While this remains significantly lower than digital sales, there is still demand. That 17 per cent also indicates that physical copies of 2026 titles such as Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata have sold out.
Perhaps third-party publishers should not be too quick to dismiss physical game sales, as demand remains, particularly in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, where brick-and-mortar retailers continue to play a relevant role in the video game market.
Short Beats
Crazy Taxi World Tour is getting a closed network test in September. Applications are now open.
Double Fine Productions has laid off 23 staff after going independent.
Meta continues to justify its AI spending across video games and technology, investing more than US$8 billion in data centres.
Final Fantasy VII Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi hopes the upcoming sequel will receive “some kind of physical edition” despite the industry’s and Sony’s shift away from discs.
Saudi Arabia’s US$55 billion takeover of longtime video game company Electronic Arts is expected to be completed in early August 2026, according to a recent US Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Xbox chief executive officer Asha Sharma predicts a “return to growth” for Microsoft’s gaming brand by mid-2027 despite revenue losses of US$1.7 billion last year.
Games of the Week
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, the classic Xbox sci-fi first-person shooter featuring supersoldier Master Chief. The game is available on Xbox consoles, PC and PlayStation 5 for the first time.
Lunarium is an indie isometric fantasy action role-playing game featuring challenging boss fights and a robust combat system built around parries, evasion, precision and tag-team melee and ranged combinations. Players take on the role of knight Ave, who teams up with the starfarer Lune to save their world from impending disaster in a lush, watercolour-inspired landscape filled with beauty and danger. Available on PC.
Mistfall Hunter is a dark fantasy extraction action role-playing game from developer Bellring Games. Players combine skills, talents and gear for each class in melee combat as a legendary Gyldhunter. Available on PC.
Truck-kun is Supporting Me From Another World?! is an action-driving game from developer Strange Scaffold. Players take on the role of a truck driver helping an isekai heroine in another realm by mowing down pedestrians and causing vehicular mayhem. Available on PC.
For the record, isekai is a genre of novel, manga and anime in which a person is reincarnated or transported to another world or dimension.
Recommended Viewing
Game designer Adam “Keits” Heart talks about why game balance is never truly real. His previous works include the Killer Instinct reboot, Divekick and Rumbleverse.
