Wait a second, are you saying that mobile gamers aren’t considered real gamers?
Remember when the mainstream media claimed that half of all gamers were women, based on a study from over a decade ago? The issue with that claim, which was clearly an attempt to push the video game industry to create more products for the female demographic, was that the studies included mobile gamers.
This encompassed popular games like Bejeweled, Candy Crush, and Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.
They’ve made similar claims about the majority of console buyers being women. Given that women account for 85% of consumer purchases, they dominate household spending over men, women are more or less purchasing such consoles for family members and loved ones.
These skewed results have led to a surge in modern games filled with androgyny, diminishing femininity while significantly increasing diversity and inclusion, driven by ESG hedge fund backing.
Despite surveys from companies like Capcom indicating that the vast majority of gamers are male and prefer attractive character designs over gameplay, the gaming sector is undeniably male-dominated, while the mobile sector is dominated by women.
So, imagine my surprise to see that mobile gamers haven’t shown much interest in purchasing AAA titles ported to handheld devices, particularly smartphones produced by Apple, which holds a dominant market share with loyal customers buying new iPhones every year.
Capcom has devoted significant resources to porting its popular Resident Evil titles to iOS devices. With ports of games like Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and Resident Evil 7 now playable on Apple devices, you’d think consumers would jump at the chance to play these well-optimized hits on the go but apparently not.
Resident Evil Village launched on iOS devices on October 30, 2023, followed by the Apple port of Resident Evil 4 Remake on December 20, 2023.
Despite the impressive execution of these ports, considering the differences in hardware capabilities and architectural changes between current-generation consoles and PCs (which use x86-based systems) and Apple’s own in-house developed ARM processors, they ultimately failed commercially.
According to data from Mobilegamer.biz, Capcom’s iOS release of Resident Evil 4 sold only around 7,000 units, while Resident Evil Village sold even fewer at just 5,750 copies. Other mobile ports, such as Death Stranding, outsold Capcom’s horror titles with 10,600 units. Unsurprisingly, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage sold just 3,000 units based on Appmagic’s numbers.
These figures don’t represent traditional “sales” since mobile titles use a different payment system compared to traditional retail copies. For instance, Resident Evil Village was released on iOS as a “free to try” game with an additional purchase price of $16 to unlock the full game. Resident Evil 4 had an initial premium charge of $60 but launched with a 50% discount.
Death Stranding’s mobile port had an upfront fee of $20 and still managed to “sell” more units than those who upgraded their copy of Resident Evil Village.
Meanwhile, hardly anyone paid $50 to upgrade their copy of Assassin’s Creed Mirage on Apple devices, despite the offer of a free 90-minute trial. Ubisoft remains committed to colonizing Japan’s history and heritage, such as their fantasy interpretation of Yasuke as a samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which has angered gamers worldwide, especially in Japan.
Nonetheless, they still plan to release this anticipated flop on Apple iOS devices.
Mobilegamer.biz now reports that Appmagic estimates Resident Evil 7 has generated just over 83,000 downloads since its release for the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad with the M1 chip or later earlier this month, meaning it has performed worse than Capcom’s previous mobile ports in terms of both downloads and especially revenue.
In terms of revenue, it is rumored that the company made just $28,140 from the game’s iOS port, with less than 2,000 full copies sold on the platform since its release on July 2nd.
Capcom has undoubtedly lost a considerable amount of money on the development of Resident Evil 7’s port to Apple devices, just as with their recently released renditions of Resident Evil 4 Remake and Resident Evil Village.
Despite employing a “try before you buy” business model, few players are interested in purchasing these large-scale, high-quality games for smartphones. This highlights the significant divide between mobile gamers and traditional gamers on console or PC platforms.
The only overlap occurs in games like Genshin Impact and Goddess of Victory NIKKE, which are designed as free-to-play games that appeal to both demographics and are supported on both iOS and Android devices.
These expansive AAA games demand large upfront costs and can only be played on high-end devices like the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max whereas Genshin Impact and the like are much more accessible with older hardware from a wider range of manufacturers.
These games are easy to pick up and play, with no upfront charges, and are mainly tailored towards male audiences who are now disenfranchised by the mainstream gaming industry which produces content awash with censorship, woke story narratives and unappealing character designs.
The modern game development landscape is now heavily influenced by global agendas, with developers adhering to policies mandated by corporations like Blackrock to secure investment through ESG-focused hedge funds. It’s not surprising that the female-dominated mobile gaming demographic isn’t interested in paying for mobile ports of AAA games on small screens.
The continued poor sales of Capcom’s games on iOS indicate that their audience, primarily male, prefers console or PC platforms or free-to-play games on handheld devices that meet their preferences. The female mobile gaming demographic is simply not drawn to these large-scale video games in sufficient numbers to justify their development costs.
Despite these sales figures, the games not only serve as a means of Apple pandering to its fanboys but also showcases the immense expandability of Capcom’s RE Engine and the performance of Apple’s modern iPhones. Capcom remains committed to bringing more games to the iOS storefront, recently announcing their intention to release the critically acclaimed 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 on Apple devices later this year.
Although we’ll likely be discussing that game’s monumental sales catastrophe in due time
