Capcom Vancouver, the studio behind Dead Rising, has been shut down. Capcom confirmed in a statement to Kotaku earlier this week that their main western studio was being closed "as a result of reviewing titles in development at Capcom Vancouver".
"Capcom has decided to cancel the development projects at this studio and will concentrate development of major titles in Japan," the company rep continued.
The shutdown will cause 158 people to lose their jobs, according to Capcom. “A skeleton crew will remain until January 2019 to finalize closure operations and logistics,” the rep said.
This follows news from February that layoffs had hit 30% of the studio. At the time, Capcom said that "the team is continuing to work hard to support the recent release of Puzzle Fighter for mobile and is dedicated to its flagship Dead Rising series."
“We appreciate the hard work and contributions of all the studio team members in creating unforgettable gameplay experiences for the Dead Rising series and Puzzle Fighter,” the Capcom company rep told Kotaku.
This news places a very large question mark on the future of the Dead Rising series. The statement from February made it sound like a Dead Rising title was in development, but that whatever that may have been has probably been canceled.
Capcom Vancouver was founded in 2005. Dead Rising was the studio's main output, with the team taking over the development of the series after the first Japanese-developed game. The Vancouver studio developed Dead Rising 2, 3, 4, and the several spinoffs of 2.
For those who haven't played the series, Dead Rising is a silly and ridiculous zombie slay-em-up. They put the player in a zombie-infested shopping mall or casino and encourage them to kill thousands of zombies in fun and creative ways. It's a series full of spirit and personality that everyone should experience.
Quick Take
This news is sad, of course, but not super surprising. Dead Rising 4 didn't do all that well and the layoffs earlier this year were a big warning sign. My heart goes out to those who lost a job!What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!