A recent sales report details how the launch sales for Capcom's Resident Evil 4 Remake are doing better than when the original was released on the Nintendo GameCube. After the commercially successful remakes of both Resident Evil 2 and 3, the fourth entry follows the publisher's remake trend. The Resident Evil 4 Remake was a widely anticipated release for 2023, with an incredible amount of pressure to live up to its storied legacy when the original launched back in 2005.
Despite some fans' wariness and concerns that it would be a tough act to follow, the Resident Evil 4 Remake's critical reception was overwhelmingly positive. While there were a few changes that some take issue with, the overall consensus is that this game made the older game much better than what it was originally. This includes overhauling the graphics, removing some less-than-savory elements of the original, and reworking certain characters and plot elements. This seems to be reflected in the remake's sales, which are currently outdoing the original's launch.
This report comes from GamesIndustry.biz, which has been keeping track of the remake's sales since its launch last week. The report is specifically keeping track of the physical sales in the UK, where it debuted at number 1 in the sales chart last week, dethroning WWE 2K23 and putting it over Hogwarts Legacy. The report states that the remake's sales were 29% higher than the GameCube's launch of Resident Evil 4 in the UK. 73% of the remake's boxed sales were on PS5, with 14% on Xbox consoles, and 13% on the last-gen PS4.
As a refresher, the original game was originally billed to be a GameCube exclusive during its lengthy development. That exclusivity was walked back when it was ported to the PS2 a year later, then the Wii two years later, which then saw Resident Evil 4 being re-released on several consoles, including things like the Zeebo. Considering the GameCube was a fairly unpopular console commercially, especially comparing it to the PS2, it likely wasn't hard for the remake to beat the GameCube's launch numbers of RE4. The fact that the remake is a multiplatform release right out of the gate definitely helped in this regard too.
Out of the three Resident Evil remakes published since 2019, the RE4 remake is the only one to outsell the launch of its original. In comparison to other recent releases in the last few years for the franchise, the remake's sales are 23% lower than 2021's Resident Evil Village, and 38% less than 2019's Resident Evil 2 Remake. The RE4 Remake however is beating out the 2020 Resident Evil 3 Remake by 38% in sales.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz