Resident Evil 3 flops on iOS: Analysts question future of console games on smartphones

The release of the mobile version of the action horror on Apple devices did not live up to the developers’ expectations. According to analytics from AppMagic, in the three weeks after the release, the iOS port of the remake brought Capcom only about $50,000 with 115,000 downloads. Competing analytics firm Appfigures provides even less encouraging data – $22,000 in revenue and only 54,000 downloads.

Such results add to the list of unsuccessful mobile releases of the Resident Evil series. RE 4 Remake, RE 7 and RE Village have previously performed poorly on iOS, despite the high quality of the port and support for modern visual effects.

Amid disappointing statistics, experts expressed doubt about the viability of the idea of ​​​​porting full-fledged games from PCs and consoles to smartphones. The head of the analytics company Epyllion noted that, despite the presence of millions of devices with the technical capabilities to run demanding titles, the share of gamers among the owners of the latest iPhones remains extremely small. The high cost of flagship models and limited audience interest in hardcore projects are the main factors holding back the success of such releases.

The cross-audience is also questionable – many potential buyers have already played Resident Evil on other platforms, and those who haven’t are not always ready to give preference to this series in a mobile format.

In the future, experts admit that by 2030, mobile devices will be able to become a full-fledged platform for midcore and hardcore gamers if releases start coming out simultaneously on all devices. However, for now, such ports remain niche and have low profitability. Time will tell whether publishers will remain interested in developing mobile versions of large projects.