Resident Evil 20th anniversary video interview: Masachika Kawata

Capcom has released the third in its series of developer interviews celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Resident Evil series.

The new video features Masachika Kawata, who has worked on titles like Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, as well as the Resident Evil Revelations series and Umbrella Chronicles.

If you missed it, catch the previous Resident Evil 20th anniversary video interviews here: Koji Oda, Hiroyuki Kobayashi.

Get the Masachika Kawata interview and transcript below.

Intro

I’m Masachika Kawata, and I’m a producer on the Resident Evil series. I’ve worked on main series titles Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, as well as spin-off titles, the Resident Evil Revelations series and Umbrella Chronicles.

The Essence of Resident Evil

The original Resident Evil games captured a feeling of fear and horror. I think those were the aspects those games put the most importance on. Starting from Resident Evil 4, however, the games started to put more emphasis on entertainment and the gameplay experience itself. Resident Evil 1 to Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4 to Resident Evil 6 are very different, but we’ve always tried to keep the concept of horror as a consistent core of the series.

On Reaching the 20th Anniversary

It’s already been 20 years, and the fans have supported the series for all this time. The entertainment and other aspects of the games have developed as we try to meet fans’ needs while opening the series up to a wide audience.

The Challenge of Evolving the Series

We challenge ourselves with each title in different ways. In Resident Evil Revelations 2, we used the cliffhanger storytelling style to tell an episodic story. But I still think the biggest evolution was Resident Evil 4. It turned the way we developed the first three games completely on its head. In terms of game systems and approach, you can see the amazing work and passion of the team who made it.

Different Games, Different Themes

Take Umbrella Chronicles for Wii. It didn’t push the horror aspect so much as exploring overcoming the fear by teaming up with another player. Resident Evil 5 also explored this two-player approach, but by simplifying the game system in Chronicles, I think players can enjoy the content more easily. You also have Resident Evil Revelations, originally developed for handheld. At first it wasn’t seen as a very difficult project, but we pushed our limits with the graphics and game system, and so our approach was very much in spirit of the original games. It was also a chance to refresh the game engine, so it was a very worthwhile project.

A Message to Resident Evil Fans

We want people to keep making Resident Evil a series that people love. I’ll keep working hard with the team to bring you fans something you can enjoy. Thank you for the continued support!