3 Capcom games that could launch before March 2021

Capcom, the developer and publisher behind the Resident Evil and Monster Hunter series, confirmed on Tuesday that it has plans to release a flurry of new games throughout the rest of 2020 and early 2021. The company is hot off the release of the Resident 3 Remake in April but has even bigger surprises for fans over the course of the next year. What might they be?

Capcom released a quarterly financial report on Tuesday that details plans for the 2021 Fiscal Year which runs from April 2020 to the end of March 2021, and the company revealed that it aims to “release major new titles” by the end of that time period. In all likelihood, that probably means three or four new games. Capcom also broke down how it intends to double-down on a digital release-focused strategy during the coronavirus pandemic, so fans might be in store for a handful of Nintendo Direct-style announcements from the company very soon.

But what could Capcom have up its sleeve? The game developer and publisher owns a massive roster of IPs, ranging from the fast fantasy world of Monster Hunter to classic franchises like Mega Man.

Here are three Capcom releases that could be right around the corner:

Resident Evil 8

While looking back on the Resident Evil franchise has been a business boon for Capcom, it hasn’t added a new installment to the series since 2017 with the release of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. But there’s plenty of evidence to suggest Resident Evil 8 could soon be announced.

Industry insider Dusk Golem first leaked information about Resident Evil 8 on April 3 via a Twitter thread: "'Resident Evil 2021' is Resident Evil 8, but it wasn't always RE8," they wrote. "During most of its development, it existed as Revelations 3." They claim it became the next mainline entry after positive internal testing. "Hallucinations, occultism, insanity and not being able to trust others are huge thematics of the game," they wrote, also noting the return of Ethan Winters, Resident Evil 7's protagonist, who would have to contend with werewolves in a "snowy village."

Resident Evil 4 Remake

The RE3 Remake has already sold 2.5 units since its April 3 launch, according to Capcom’s latest financial report, which leaves the door open for the seemingly inevitable release of Resident Evil 4 Remake.

Such a remake hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, but it has been allegedly leaked by multiple sources. On April 12, Video Games Chronicle revealed that the remake did exist and was in development. The leak was short on gameplay and story details, but revealed it had the blessing of series creator Shinji Mikami and is in full development and Resident Evil 3 co-developer M-Two.

Dusk Golem subsequently backed up those claims, saying that M-Two started its development in 2018. Both the RE2 and RE3 remakes were released about a year apart, so a March 2021 released date for RE4 Remake wouldn’t come as a total surprise.

Street Fighter 6

Capcom’s iconic fighting game franchise was last updated in February 2016 with the release of Street Fighter 5. The title has received a steady stream of DLC expansion in the form of new characters, maps, and challenges, but Capcom could be cooking up a new addition to Street Fighter for the upcoming PlayStation 5.

After the Capcom Cup 2019 Street Fighter 5 finals, the company announced a certain change that made fans believe that Street Fighter 6 could be slated for a 2021 release. Capcom stated that the 2020 champion will not automatically qualify to compete in the 2021 Capcom Cup, which is exactly what it did in 2016 when it transitioned the annual tournament from Street Fighter 4 to Street Fighter 5.

Granted, Street Fighter 5 was released a whopping eight years after Street Fighter 4 so it does seem a bit early for another installment. But the Capcom Cup statement has raised a lot of eyebrows.