Capcom’s Canceled Dead Rising 5 Had VERY Troubled Development

A new video details the development cycle of Capcom’s ill-fated Dead Rising 5, including some very deep-rooted problems that took hold behind the scenes, which sent the game to the grave just a few months after its announcement. The zombie-slaying, makeshift weapon-crafting sandbox series had previously been a powerhouse franchise in its earlier years, spawning no less than four mainline games and even a tie-in film since it first burst onto the Xbox 360 back in 2006.

This all changed when Capcom attempted a fifth Dead Rising game in 2018. Despite initial optimism regarding the new sequel, this planned Dead Rising 5 would eventually be canceled a few months later, causing longtime series developer Capcom Vancouver to shut down and effectively ending the franchise for the time being. Since then, fans have been left wondering what the new game would have entailed, as well as what circumstances caused the project to go so wrong so quickly.

Now, Liam Robertson Game History Secrets has provided some insight into these previously unanswered questions in a recent video that was posted on the DidYouKnowGaming? YouTube channel. Robertson details the history of the Dead Rising franchise, including the chaotic development of the ultimately unreleased fifth installment. Apparently, Dead Rising 5 would have starred Dead Rising 2 lead Chuck Greene and his now-grown daughter Katie (who would have psychic abilities due to her continuing zombie infection) as they battle a drug cartel and another zombie apocalypse in a setting far more vibrant than past titles’. However, at the helm a completely inexperienced team was and licensing issues arose over the game’s planned use of Unreal Engine 4, which ultimately led Capcom to pull the plug on the game altogether.

Even before the disastrous development cycle of Dead Rising 5, the series had already begun to enter rocky territory with the wildly divisive Dead Rising 4, which was rushed through production for a lackluster release in 2016. Critical reception was mixed, and many fans disliked the game’s even goofier tone and the fact that several key components from past entries were stripped out, such as the tension-inducing time limits on the campaign that defined Dead Rising as a series. The finished product ultimately sold so poorly that one-fifth of Capcom Vancouver’s staff had to be laid off prior to the official announcement of Dead Rising 5, with the studio being shuttered shortly thereafter.

This certainly wouldn’t have helped the game’s ultimately ill-fated development cycle, so it may be best that it simply never came to fruition. Perhaps Dead Rising 5 could have turned the series around due to its more colorful setting and interesting story, but the project was sadly not to be. One day, it can be hoped the Dead Rising franchise might be rebooted to new success. For now, though, all fans can do is check out the story of the troubled Dead Rising 5, a saga that has seemingly killed off Capcom’s once well-regarded series with a blow that not even the undead could weather.

Source: DidYouKnowGaming?

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J. Brodie Shirey
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J. Brodie Shirey is just a simple man trying to make his way in the universe, but aren’t we all? He currently lives in York, Pennsylvania. He is a big comic book, video game, and science fiction fan, and likes writing articles for ScreenRant or scripts for some of his crazy TV show ideas.

A graduate from York County School of Technology, he’s self-published several books on Amazon, and once won 1st place at a regional computer fair for a CGI animated short. He might post it on Youtube someday. He hopes that working for this site will be his first step into the larger universe of online writing, since Megazord technology hasn’t been invented yet and he doesn’t seem to have any Force powers. You can check out his work at The Uncanny Fox, purchase his books on Amazon.com, see his posted scripts on Script Revolution, or see his portfolio here or here. He can also be followed on Twitter @FoxUncanny.

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