5 Reasons Why Mods Are Important For The Resident Evil Franchise

Capcom’s recent run of new releases has seen heaps of praise from a plethora of fans. More notably, the Resident Evil franchise has been at the center of plaudits with the recent releases of Resident Evil Village, and the Resident Evil 4 Remake. These games have been elevated in a variety of ways for players on PC, with mods playing a huge part in their success months after release.

With Capcom’s recent stance on modifications to all of their games, and their perspective against this, there has been uproar among fans about mods being supported by the developer. While modifications and cheats in competitive online multiplayer games such as Street Fighter 6 must be eliminated, there are several important reasons why the Resident Evil franchise must maintain this.

5 Longevity

Modders Can Change Levels In Base Game Campaigns

One of the biggest aspects of mods for PC gamers is the modding community that can customize levels that players are accustomed to. This is shown not only in the current Resident Evil 4 Remake with mods such as the Berserker Randomizer mod, but it is also present in the original Resident Evil 4 (2005), which changes the entire game, known as Rising Of Evil.

If Capcom wishes to see players continuing to play their games years after their release, maintaining mod support should be the top priority. This allows the community to pour more life into older games, and even bring back some missing elements from original games for remakes.

4 Replay Value

Replay Value Is One Of The Major Fundamentals Of Resident Evil Games

Adhering to the aforementioned case of longevity, modifications to Resident Evil games are a huge factor in replay value. Besides the replay value implemented by developers for the base game experience, the community has the capability of extending this much further. This is evident with randomizer mods, cosmetics, level adjustments, new weapons, and much more in a variety of Resident Evil entries on PC.

For players that tend to revisit older games for nostalgia, or simply to look for a greater challenge, these mods are what allow this to occur. In this case, Capcom should consider allowing modders to continue working on these games and keep goodwill running for all players over the last few years.

3 Game Fixes/Ultrawide Resolution

Modding Communities Implement Black Bar Fixes

The 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios are beginning to become more common for popular triple-A releases, and the same with the Resident Evil 4 Remake. While there is native support for these aspect ratios, the field of view can give a fishbowl-type effect.

While there is a field-of-view slider in the game’s settings, the only way of properly fixing this is using REFramework, which fixes the field-of-view for a better view for players. This is an example of what the modding community can adjust for players that developers may not have time for or consider to be of major importance, further highlighting the importance of modification.

2 Game Ownership

Gamers Are Opting For Better Digital Game Ownership

With announcements of games such as Alan Wake 2 and Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 being digital titles, there is an increased push for changes to game ownership from consumers. Aside from this, the elimination of mods altogether for the Resident Evil franchise is likely to push fans further away from the feeling of full game ownership.

Maintaining the ability to adjust and implement new features in games like Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 Remake, without modifications that are cheats or used maliciously, is a core aspect of maintaining consumers’ full ownership of games, and making sure they have enough to fall back on in moments of no releases of new titles.

1 Increased And Maintained Sales

The Resident Evil Franchise Is A Capcom Best-Seller

Sticking with the idea of game fixes, longevity, and additional content that allows them to change in-game experiences entirely, is more than likely going to keep high sales consistent. While modifications are aligned with PC players alone, it still stands as a huge portion of players of the Resident Evil franchise.

Since the Resident Evil 4 Remake in particular took a different approach to the original, fans would love to see how the community can mold the experience into something more unique. During its reveal phase, some fans expected the aforementioned remake to be aligned with the early version of the original, which featured Leon secluded in a supernatural location, taking a spookier tone with the hookman stalking players.

Resident Evil 7 brought the franchise back to the limelight in 2017, and the recent remakes have maintained this throughout recent years. Players on PC who buy Resident Evil titles are more than likely going to consider modding once completing the base game campaign, so seeing this potentially removed will be disappointing, to say the least. If Capcom can allow the new REX Engine to maintain its mod-friendly nature going forward not only for their other classic IPs and entires, but the Resident Evil franchise most importantly, fans will most certainly be pleased.