Listings for Resident Evil 4 remake’s iOS and iPadOS ports have gone live, showing a placeholder date of December 31. However, the mobile version is rather expensive, costing Rs. 3,599, matching the same default price tag as the mainline PC port. The game will be available with support for Universal Purchase, meaning the same app can be accessed across other Apple products you own, including the Mac. Similar to other Capcom titles, players will be granted a free trial/ demo before being asked to purchase the game for full content, hence it says ‘Free’ download on the App Store page.
Besides the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models, any Apple device housing an M1 chipset can run Resident Evil 4 remake, with Capcom promising ‘beautiful and detailed’ graphics on the Mac during their Tokyo Game Show segment. On the latter platform, the game is expected to weigh 19.3GB, while the phone version is around 700MB, which is likely to go up upon purchasing the complete version. I find it hard to imagine anyone wanting to play this acclaimed survival horror title on a mobile device at such a high price point, let alone having to deal with the abundance of translucent control buttons on the screen that make for an unsightly affair. The studio dropped raw screenshots from the iPhone port last week, and two-thirds of the screen is covered with buttons representing the PlayStation layout. Bear in mind that the images displayed on the App Store are largely from cinematics and do not represent actual gameplay.
Resident Evil 4 remake running on an iPhone 15 Pro
Photo Credit: Capcom
As per Bloomberg, Capcom is looking to expand into new markets for ‘long-term growth,’ with India being a focus. The company believes that within the next 5–10 years, sales in the country will surpass that of China, but such claims are heavily misguided. For one, the majority of Indian gamers play on mobile devices, which while Capcom is willing to build upon as seen with the aforementioned Resident Evil 4, mobile players aren’t really willing to pay premium costs for such titles. Not to mention, the most commonly used mobile platform in India is Android. Secondly, the regional pricing system for Capcom’s games is on the higher end, often contributing to piracy — it doesn’t help that the average Indian gamer does not make premium game purchases. Rs. 3,599 isn’t a small ask for many.
At the Tokyo Game Show event, Capcom also confirmed that Resident Evil 4’s free Mercenaries mode and the newly launched ‘Separate Ways’ Ada DLC are in development. Furthermore, the studio confirmed that Resident Evil Village is coming to iPhone 15 Pro phones and the newer M1-and-above-equipped iPads on October 30, just in time for Halloween. Oddly enough, the game is priced $10 higher than the existing Mac version, costing $39.99 (about Rs. 3,330). This also indicates the lack of Universal Purchase — meaning, those who own Resident Evil Village on the Mac will be forced to purchase the mobile version should they wish to play it on the go. Pre-orders for the same will go live soon.
Resident Evil 4 remake is coming to the iOS, iPadOS, and Mac in late 2023.