20 Things You Didn’t Know about Capcom
Have you ever heard of a company called Capcom? They are what many people consider to be the go-to company when it comes to the video game industry. As a matter of fact, this is a company that has long held its standing within the gaming industry when many other similar companies have gone by the wayside. There are several things about the company itself that you may not be aware of, even if you play their titles on a routine basis. When it’s all said and done, you’re likely to be surprised by at least a few of the 20 things on this list, all related to the company in one respect or another. If you want to know more about Capcom, go ahead and read through the list. If you’re familiar with them, there are sure to be some things that you’re already aware of but it’s equally certain that you will have the opportunity to learn something new about a company that produces what might be one of your favorite video games.
1. They’re in the video game industry
If you’re not already aware, Capcom is in the video game industry. The only way that you might not have previously been aware of that fact is if you haven’t played any video games in a very long time and essentially have nothing to do with them. You can bet that anyone that’s played something within the last several decades, even casually, is it least aware of the name. Chances are, dedicated gamers are aware of much more than that.
2. The company is based in Japan
It probably doesn’t surprise you to know that the company is based in Japan. After all, Japanese companies do very well in the video game industry, largely because they cornered the market on it years ago and they have found ways to progress with new technology ever since.
3. They know what sells and what doesn’t
Over the years, they produced all kinds of games that have gone on to become major players in the gaming industry. Just a few of the titles include Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Breath of Fire, Dead Rising and Monster Hunter. Of course, they’ve been involved with several other products as well. While some have been more successful than others, that’s to be expected whether you’re talking about this company or any other. As a matter of fact, that’s something you can almost bet on in any industry, including gaming.
4. They have subsidiaries in several different countries
It’s been several years since they had an office in only one location, headquartered in Japan. Thanks to their success, they now have smaller subsidiaries in countries around the globe, including Eastern Asia, Europe and North America. This allows them to distribute games more effectively. More importantly, it all comes down to being part of the bottom line.
5. The company was founded long before video games became widely popular
It might surprise you to know that the company itself was founded long before video games became a household activity. The company was launched in 1979, several years before games started becoming popular. Nevertheless, the company made it through those lean years and saw an enormous amount of success during the 1980s. They’ve never looked back since then, finding new and innovative ways to market their games with each passing year.
6. They’re no longer just about video games
It probably won’t shock you to learn that they’re not just about producing video games anymore. While that’s obviously still their primary focus, they’ve also been involved with producing a number of movies based on the games that they already have. This is just one more way for them to capitalize on the industry and make more money. They would have been foolish not to get involved with it, because creating movies based on popular video games has become one of the most anticipated things out there.
7. They understand that the video game industry is a very serious business
Sometimes, people get the misconception that the video game industry is all about fun and games, largely because that’s what they produce. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. This is a very serious business and it’s extremely competitive. They drove that point home when they filed a lawsuit against another company for infringing on a patent they claimed to hold on another game. As you can see, it doesn’t matter what the industry is, it’s all about business.
8. The company started out as three separate groups
During the company’s earlier days, there were three distinctly different groups that worked in the same building under the same company name. They were all working on different projects, creating separate games for the company. Because they were working separately, they could always be found in rooms where they could stay completely away from each other in order to better focus on the project they were working on.
9. More recently, everyone works together on different aspects of the game they’re creating
In today’s world, things have changed quite a bit. They no longer have different teams of people that are creating all aspects of different games on their own. Instead, everyone works together on projects, with each team being responsible for a different aspect of a particular project. It’s believed that this is the more effective way to go because it seems to spark better creativity, not to mention allowing everyone employed by the company to work as a single cohesive unit.
10. They have also been known to outsource some duties
For a relatively short time, Capcom had a habit of outsourcing certain projects in order to move things along more rapidly. However, they were largely disappointed with a lot of the ways that these particular project turned out, necessitating the leaders of the company to examine the need to outsource certain tasks. While they haven’t moved away from it completely, they certainly don’t allow third parties to become fully involved in or responsible for individual projects any longer.
11. They produce material related to their own games
It’s not at all uncommon for them to produce user guides and other types of written material for their games. There are two purposes for this. Obviously, one is to give gamers an opportunity to learn some of the tricks of the trade.The other reason is because they were looking for an avenue to make additional cash.
12. They’re one of the few companies still involved in major arcade games
In Japan, there are still plenty of coin-operated arcade games and this company has basically cornered the market on it. On the rare occasion that such games can be found in other countries, you can almost bet that Capcom is either directly responsible for them or that they at least had a hand in their development.
13. They often rely on proven titles
It’s not at all uncommon for them to rely on sequels to proven titles such as Resident Evil or Street Fighter in order to ensure a constant stream of income. These are games that were produced several years ago, and they’re still making additional games based on those original stories today.
14. At the same time, they’re constantly developing something new
Just because they rely heavily on proven success stories, that doesn’t mean that they don’t actively work to develop new titles as well. As a matter of fact, the company is constantly in development for something that’s brand new. While they might be in different stages of development, there’s always something interesting going on at Capcom.
15. The company develops games for many different gaming consoles
When the company originally got its start, everything was about the arcade game. Today, they produce games for virtually every major gaming console out there. The idea is to make their games as accessible as possible to as many people as possible in order to make more money. By making games available for a wide variety of different consoles, they increase their customer base.
16. They’re not without controversy
Almost no company is completely without controversy and Capcom is no exception. In the last several years, they’ve come under a certain amount of fire, largely for their advertising practices. Basically, gamers have proposed that they’re using old footage from previous games in new advertisements in order to get people hooked on a game, only when they buy it they find that that particular scenario doesn’t even exist within that specific game.
17. They don’t always release popular games for all markets
In addition, they regulate how they release their games so all of their titles aren’t released at the same time for all markets across the board. As a matter of fact, there are some titles that are only released in their native area of Japan or Asia, leaving both the North American and European markets out of the loop entirely. In most other cases, games are released for these markets at much later dates, leaving fans wondering why they always have to wait.
18. Its systems have been known to have a glitch or two
Again, it’s not uncommon for modern-day gaming systems to have a few glitches. They have been known to produce a few games that have these types of issues, even when they went into mass production. This hurt their reputation somewhat, because many people who purchased the games couldn’t understand why they didn’t fix the glitches before they did a massive release of certain titles.
19. Despite everything, they are well known within the gaming community
Despite these perceived flaws, Capcom is one of the most well-known companies within the gaming community, if not the most well-known. The company has been in existence for decades and has produced titles that were among the most popular options when they were first produced and continue to be so to this day. As a result, almost every gamer has experience with the company on one level or another. Even if they have been frustrated to no end by some of the glitches and other issues, it’s almost given that a number of the company’s most popular titles routinely show up in the library of almost every dedicated gamer.
20. The company is worth a lot of money
Clearly, having this degree of popularity means that the company itself is worth a lot of money. Today, it’s worth several billion dollars and counting. There is nothing to indicate that they’re slowing down, so there’s no telling how much more money they can make in the future. When it’s all said and done, it’s important to remember that the gaming industry is no different from any other area of business. At the end of the day, it’s all about who is capable of making the most money. That’s one reason that Capcom has been a force to be reckoned with for all these years and it’s also why they’re still around.
Now that you know more about the way Capcom operates, you might be wondering exactly what sets them apart that allowed them to be successful when other companies of a similar nature failed long ago. For the most part, it comes down to just a few factors. The first is obviously related to the fact that they were the ones responsible for producing some of the most popular titles in the gaming industry. They really got their start with Street Fighter in the 1980s and that propelled them into a position to work on other titles like Resident Evil, among others. Basically, this set the stage for their success and it made it difficult for them to fail. Not every other company that once competed with Capcom had that same stroke of luck, so many of them weren’t really in such a solid position as Capcom to begin with. In addition, the company has always strived to continue building on the titles that are the most popular while simultaneously producing something new. This is designed to keep people interested so they continue to come back for more. It’s a rather unique strategy, but it’s clearly one that has worked well for them over the years and continues to do so to this day.
