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Today Capcom announced that it's closing Canadian studio Capcom Vancouver, which has long been in charge of the Dead Rising series. The closure comes on the heels of a press release confirming that the studio's ongoing projects have been terminated.
"As a result of reviewing titles in development at Capcom Vancouver, Capcom has decided to cancel the development projects at this studio and will concentrate development of major titles in Japan," Capcom said in a statement to Kotaku.
Capcom said the Vancouver studio will officially be shuttered in early 2019, and that 158 people will be laid off due to its closure. Only "a skeleton crew will remain until January 2019 to finalize closure operation and logistics," a Capcom representative said. Capcom Vancouver employees were abruptly notified of the closure today, as design director Aidan Scanlan confirmed on Twitter.
Unfortunately Capcom Vancouver shuttered today. I’m in a bit of a shock, but if you know of anyone looking for an 18 year experienced game designer send them my way. Spread the word!September 18, 2018
Formerly Blue Castle Games, Capcom Vancouver was established in 2005. It took over the Dead Rising series in 2010 with Dead Rising 2 and its DLCs, and went on to create Dead Rising 3 and the better-received Dead Rising 4. However, after a wave of layoffs at the start of 2018, Capcom told GamesIndustry that Capcom Vancouver was transitioning to support the mobile game Puzzle Fighter, which was itself shut down this April.
"We appreciate the hard work and contributions of all the studio team members in creating unforgettable gameplay experiences for the Dead Rising series and Puzzle Fighter," Capcom told Kotaku.
Capcom hasn't commented on the future of Dead Rising, but I wouldn't bet on getting a sequel anytime soon, if ever.
The Dead Rising series gave us some of the best, silliest moments in zombie game history, like our quest to take the perfect zombie selfie in Dead Rising 4.
