Insights into the Future of AAA Mobile Game Development: Resident Evil Village on iOS

Playing Resident Evil Village on an iPad Pro is a stunning experience, with the game running natively and looking comparable to its console counterparts. This achievement is particularly notable given the recent cloud-based port of the game to the Nintendo Switch. The rise of cloud gaming services and devices like Logitech G Cloud and Razer Edge might have suggested that streaming was the only viable way to play high-end titles on mobile devices. However, the inclusion of Apple's powerful M2 chip in devices like the sixth-gen iPad Pro and iPhone 15 Pro has given developers the power of a high-end console in their hands. Resident Evil Village's smooth port to iOS can be attributed to Capcom's prior experience porting the game to MacOS, which is compatible with M2 chip-powered machines. According to Masachika Kawata, one of the game's producers, the relationship with Apple and the potential of the M2 chip made it an ideal opportunity to bring Resident Evil to a wider audience. The power of the M2 chip was crucial in realizing AAA game ports, which is why porting Village to devices without it, such as the iPhone 15 or Android devices, was not considered. Capcom's development team, who also handled the internal porting of Village, benefited from their prior experience with the MacOS port. The groundwork laid last year in updating the internal RE Engine to support MacOS development made the iOS port relatively straightforward. Kawata notes that working with the RE Engine, which has been praised for its versatility, made developing for iOS with the M2 chip feel similar to developing for current-gen consoles, with minor considerations such as screen size. One potential drawback is that the iOS port of Village does not utilize unique mobile features like touch, swipe, or motion controls, instead relying on a DualSense controller or a virtual touch controller overlay. However, players can customize the button layout and size to create a more mobile-friendly experience. The achievement of bringing Resident Evil Village to iOS is a significant milestone, especially considering the infamous mobile version of the original Resident Evil 4 over a decade ago. While the iOS version of Village is sold separately from the MacOS version, future ports, such as Resident Evil 4, will be available as a universal purchase, allowing users to buy the game once and play it on any Apple M2-powered hardware. Producer Tsuyoshi Kanda is optimistic about the future of mobile gaming, suggesting that it may become feasible to release games simultaneously on mobile devices and current-gen consoles. However, Kawata takes a more cautious approach, emphasizing the need to gather feedback and improve with each iteration before committing to simultaneous releases.