Summary
Dino Crisisis something of a lost franchise in the wider world of gaming and even within developer Capcom’s own catalog. The original was released around the same time as the studio’s seminal survival horror series,Resident Evil, which went on to overshadowDino Crisisin almost every regard.Dino Crisissaw three titles made from 1999 to 2003, with the last being largely the worst received due to various disliked design decisions and a general lackluster quality. Following this, the franchise was abandoned, sitting unused for nearly 20 years now.
In February 2024,Capcom surveyed fans about possibly revisiting some of its older franchises. While nothing official has come of this yet, it may be a promising sign that it is seriously considering remaking or remastering some of its other games that have been languishing, withDino Crisismentioned among them. It seems like it would be a natural fit forDino Crisisto be given theREremake treatment, although this may involve complications as well.
Resident Evil’s original producer/director, Shinji Mikami, also worked onDino Crisisand later went on to form his own studio.
A Dino Crisis Remake Exactly Like Resident Evil Might be a Double-Edged Sword
Positives For Capcom Producing a Dino Crisis Remake
ADino Crisisremaster/remake has been a hot-button topic for quite some time, but to no avail until this point.Jurassic Park Survival, announced at The 2023 Game Awards, piqued players' interest as a new survival horror title featuring imposing reptiles in an established franchise and perhaps was an impetus in some way for Capcom to take notice and include the series on its list of potential revivals.
Capcom has found a winning formula for theResident Evilremakesthus far, with 2019’sRE2remake providing the blueprint thatRE3and last year’s highly acclaimedRE4remakes followed almost step by step in terms of style and design, aside from all the content that didn’t make it intoRE3remake. On the surface, this implies that aDino Crisisremake would theoretically do just as well in terms of reception and a satisfying experience if it were made in the same mold.
The idea of not fixing what might not be broken could be applied in this instance, as the approach Capcom has taken to theREremakes has proved fruitful, and it could be expected that this would also be the case forDino Crisis, which would likely add to the developer’s popularity and momentum.
Drawbacks to a Potential RE-Style Dino Crisis Remake
On the other end, the style of theREremakes, while largely embraced, might also be said to be getting a bit long in the tooth, and reusing the exact same principles in another remake—albeit in a previously defunct series—could start to wear it out. It has also been reported via leaks thatCapcom allegedly has a total of fiveResident Evilprojectscurrently in some stage of production.
If true, that is a higher-than-average number of concurrent titles, and it may be stretching itself a bit thin in doing so. If aDino Crisisremake becomes a real possibility based on fan feedback, it could be quite some time before the studio can provide enough resources and give it full attention. Then, if it only amounts to whatResident Evilhas achieved lately and doesn’t push the envelope, it could be seen as somewhat reductive.
Another consideration is that Capcom may risk oversaturating the market with survival horror remakes (which are becoming an increasing trend) and potentially competing with itself. A modernDino Crisisalready faces competitionin general in the form of titles likeInstinctionthat have stepped in to fill the dinosaur-centric game space in the long period since its absence. Capcom may need to factor this in when weighing whether to do aDino Crisisremake in the near future. Still, there are good reasons for Capcom to move forward with aDino Crisisremake, so long as it looks at all angles and can determine a constructive direction for it.
