Capcom Boss Attributes Recent Success to Death of the Great Man Theory

Capcom has been releasing video games since the early 1980s and is responsible for the creation of many hall-of-fame titles, such as Mega Man, Street Fighter, Monster Hunter, and Resident Evil, but as the industry has transformed, so too has Capcom's approach to game development.

While the company has had to pivot on many occasions over the last 40 years, especially early on, President and CEO of Capcom, Haruhiro Tsujimoto, says the change from independent-led to team-led development is one of the biggest reasons why Capcom has achieved long-lasting success.

In an interview with Somtam Tai from Famitsu, Tsujimoto reflects on Capcom's incredible journey that started with five full-time employees and one part-timer, and quickly grew into a global brand, influencing generations of gamers with quality games.

As Capcom approaches its 43rd anniversary, Tsujimoto shared a glimpse of what it took to not only stay afloat, but to thrive in the face of adversity: "Looking back at the industry as a whole, the past 40 years since our founding have truly been a turbulent period. Our company started with arcade games, and we faced significant environmental changes, such as the introduction of regulations under the Entertainment Business Act and the aftermath of the bubble economy's collapse."

Then, Nintendo developed the Family Computer (a precursor to the legendary NES), which marked the beginning of a major turning point in gaming as a whole, and Capcom began shifting its focus more towards console games.

Tsujimoto says Capcom recognized early on that they wouldn't be able to make a profit unless they broadened their market, so they began establishing themselves in America and Europe. This decision was yet another defining moment for Capcom, as the western world fell in love with their games, giving the company an extra influx of cash to keep the train rolling.

Like many other companies, Capcom utilized individual-led development for many years, meaning that the direction of each game was controlled largely by one developer, as they would have the final say on what makes it into the game. "In the gaming industry, when a title becomes part of a series, it often becomes dependent on a specific developer, a so-called "personalized" title. If this person doesn't make it, there won't be a sequel. The game's world and setting become entirely dependent on the developer's individual vision."

Time For a Change

Capcom operated this way for quite some time, but soon realized the limitations of this business model, and after consulting the developers at the core of each of their games, it was decided that the company would switch from an individual-dependent system to a team-based system.

With this game plan in place, Capcom began rebuilding every title from the ground up, and they were aware of the risks, as taking the time to reinvent themselves would result in a temporary decline in sales, but it was a sacrifice they were willing to make in the name of longevity.

With this new team-led philosophy, each new game in a series no longer relies on the ideas of one person, making the development process less restricted and giving the team the ability to pass along their knowledge to the next generation.

Capcom has shown no signs of slowing down, achieving major success in recent years with the release of Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, as well as many other popular games, and Tsujimoto attributes their success to the company's team-first approach.

"Whether it’s development, marketing, or promotion, our strength lies in the fact that we’re able to work together as one – not as individuals, but as a team – driven by the desire to create and sell our own products."