Capcom experiments with streaming and new pricing in Resident Evil 7 for Switch
Cloud version of acclaimed horror title will be streamed via wifi, costs just £13 / $18 for six-month 'play ticket'
Capcom is bringing its best-selling hit Resident Evil 7 to Nintendo Switch - but this is far from a straight port.
Resident Evil 7: Cloud Version will be largely built around game streaming technology, specifically utilising the Ubitas cloud service. Players simply download the game's base application and, once connected to wifi, can play through Resident Evil 7 in all its glory.
The download is just 45MB, with the cloud service streaming the vast majority of the game's data. However, the official website stresses the need for a stable connection in order for it to work.
Resident Evil 7 was developed for the superior hardware of Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but this hasn't prevented other publishers from finding ways to bring high-end games to Nintendo's hardware. Most notably, Bethesda has done a remarkable job of bringing Doom and Skyrim to Switch, with Wolfenstein II on the way later this summer.
However, if Capcom's experiment proves to be successful it could provide AAA developers with a different way to bring their titles to the increasingly popular Nintendo device.
The Japanese publisher is also experimenting with the business model for this new release. Rather than a simple purchase, Switch owners are required to purchase a 'play ticket'. The application itself is free and comes with a 15-minute trial, but beyond that players will need to pay ¥2,000 (£13 / $18) for 180 days of access to the game.
Clearly, Capcom is banking on Switch owners not only playing through the main game and all of the DLC (which is included in the cloud version), but also replaying through the game since six months is the only purchase option - considerably longer than it will take most avid Resident Evil fans to complete the title.
Resident Evil 7: Cloud Version launches this coming Thursday (May 24, 2018) in Japan. At the time of writing, it's not clear whether this will be made available worldwide.
Last month, Capcom revealed the game has sold 5.1 million copies worldwide since its launch in January 2017. The publisher has previously said it was aiming for 10 million; while the Switch's growing install base could help bring it closer (assuming Capcom includes sales of 'play tickets'), it's uncertain whether it could actually reach this milestone.