Bayonetta Creator Says Capcom Beating Other Studios Thanks to Risks with New IPs

Few gaming studios have been on a run as successful as Capcom in recent years.

2026 alone has seen these release several hits, notably Resident Evil: Requiem and Pragmata. Omnimusha: Way of the Sword is set to release later this year as well. While Grand Theft Auto 6 is the likely frontrunner for Game of the Year, don't be surprised to see Capcom make some serious noise come awards season.

This is off the back of what has been a strong decade for the studio. Monster Hunter Wilds, Resident Evil Village, Dragon's Dogma 2, and Street Fighter 6 have led the way. The future looks bright, too, with Resident Evil Veronica set to headline Capcom's 2027. The present and future are looking very bright for the Japanese developer.

It has everyone wondering what Capcom is doing differently compared to other developers. The industry is in turmoil, though it seems like Capcom is immune to it. One former Capcom developer has an idea, though.

The creator of Bayonetta, Kamiya is no stranger to working with Capcom. He served as the director of Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, and Okami in the 2000s (all of which were, at the time, new IPs). He's working with Capcom again on the long-awaited Okami 2.

A fan asked Kamiya, who left Capcom in 2006 to form PlatinumGames, just what's in the water at Capcom. He had some thoughts.

With Capcom, not only do they have a ton of talented staff, but looking at something like Pragma in recent years makes me especially feel that the leadership at the top has consistently maintained an aggressive stance toward actively working on creating new IPs.

Kamiya hypothesizes that the aggressive stance to create new IPs is helping Capcom achieve its success. I understand the logic behind it: gamers love finding something fresh and new to experience.

Beyond the new IP in Pragmata, Capcom has shown that it is not afraid when it comes to reinvigorating already established IPs. We saw that last decade with Resident Evil 7 and Monster Hunter World breathing some much-needed new life into those franchises. I wouldn't be surprised if other teams are motivated to keep innovating in order to keep up with the likes of Pragmata.

Not Every New Capcom IP Has Been a Hit, But They've At Least Been Trying

With all that being said, Capcom hasn't been releasing a steady cadence of brand-new IPs with immediate success every year.

Take 2023's Expoprimal, for example. It was a new IP that didn't light the world on fire. If anything, you can argue that Capcom's biggest hits these days come from the well-established franchises I mentioned earlier. It's why I believe there's indeed some truth to what Kamiya said: investing resources in new ideas is a great way to reinvigorate old IPs.

Having said that, I can't be the only person out there who would love to see Capcom take those new ideas and use them to revitalize old, dormant franchises. It's been far too long since we've had a Viewtiful Joe game, and based on how much fun I had with Ninja Gaiden 4, I'd love to see what a modern-day Devil May Cry would look like.

Given the run Capcom is on, I don't think we'll have to wait too long to see them dip back into some older IPs and give them a new coat of paint.

Pragmata

8.5/10

Released April 17, 2026

ESRB Teen / Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases