Capcom: Perceived racism in RE5 did not alter game design

You’re probably aware of the amount of criticism that Capcom took when its first trailer for Resident Evil 5 (PS3, Xbox 360) came out. Racism was the main accusation, but the devs shrugged it off. In the latest trailer, we saw Capcom mix up the ethnicities in the hordes of Chris Redfield foes. What does this mean? Was Capcom pressured by the media? See their response in the full article up ahead.

 We all remember what an uproar the debut trailer for Capcom‘s anticipated survival horror title Resident Evil 5 (PS3, Xbox 360) caused. The short clip depicted Caucasian protagonist Chris Redfield fighting mobs of black Africans who, according to some, were portrayed as savage and inhuman.

A new trailer was released a few days ago with Redfield going about his business, gatecrashing into the continent and stirring up the locals. Only this time, the hordes of enemies are more racially diverse, sporting various skin tones. As the case was with the first trailer, fans and the media took notice and wondered if the criticisms against Capcom caused the change in the visuals.

Kotaku was able to get in touch with game producer Jun Takeuchi and they were able to inquire about his stand on the matter. The developer denied that they were swayed by people’s opinions on the first trailer.

“In terms of the reaction, we’re in the business of entertainment,” he said. “We didn’t set out to make a racist game or a political statement. We did feel there was a misunderstanding about the initial trailer.”

Takeuchi further explained that they sent people over to Africa to do some on-location research. That, more than anything else, is the reason why they decided to include Arab and Caucasian peoples in the mix.

There you have it. Capcom’s official explanation to address the whole racism issue. Now let’s all go back to playing games – something the human race generally enjoys.

Buy: [Resident Evil 5 (PS3)]
Buy: [Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360)]

Via Kotaku