Capcom Unleashes Creativity with Exoprimal

Exoprimal, Capcom's latest live-service dinosaur game, has a distinctly old-school feel to it, blending campy humor, over-the-top action, and stylish experimentation. This is largely due to the fact that Exoprimal is a rare instance of Capcom creating a game outside of its established franchises like Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and Monster Hunter. According to Exoprimal director Takuro Hiraoka, 'Capcom has many long-standing IPs, and with those games, you need to consider the background of the previous games whenever you're designing a new one.' However, with Exoprimal, the team was given the freedom to start from scratch and incorporate their personal interests, such as pitting futuristic exosuits against prehistoric dinosaurs. This creative liberty allowed the developers to 'go wild' with their ideas and craft a unique gaming experience. Capcom's hesitation to explore new IPs is understandable, given the high costs associated with AAA game development and the company's relatively smaller scale compared to its competitors. The decision to greenlight Exoprimal was likely influenced by the game's stand-out concept, which convinced the business that it was worth taking on the challenge. Technical director Kazuki Abe notes that the game's design required significant technical development and resources, but the team was able to demonstrate its drive and ability to make it work. Working on a new IP brought a mix of freedom and pressure, with Abe estimating it was '80% freedom and 20% pressure.' The development process was not drastically different from other games, with standard procedures and pipelines in place. The inclusion of dinosaurs may evoke memories of the Dino Crisis series, but the team cites Monster Hunter and Street Fighter as greater influences. Hiraoka's experience working on Monster Hunter games helped shape the team-based gameplay and role division in Exoprimal, while art director Takuro Fuse's background in fighting games informed the action's satisfying impact and character design. The game's launch has received a mixed reaction, but with over one million players thanks to Game Pass, the team is focused on gathering feedback, analyzing data, and planning the next steps to keep the player base happy.