Key Person Speaks on the Future of Biohazard
The Biohazard series will live on! Operation Raccoon City Producer Masachika Kawata tells Famitsu his thoughts on the Biohazard series.

Looking to the Future: Taking on a New Direction for the Biohazard Series

Famitsu: Mr. Kawata, can you start off by telling us about your involvement in the Biohazard series?

Kawata: The first title I was really involved in was the remake of the original Biohazard. At that time, many new game consoles like the PlayStation 2 and GameCube were released, and by then, the Biohazard brand had already been well established. I can clearly remember how we as a game developer always had to aim for the top and meet the increased capabilities of those new consoles.

Famitsu: That was around the time of the 5th Anniversary. That was over 10 years ago. What's changed since then?

Kawata: In recent years, we really tried pushing the idea of variation (for the Biohazard series). Biohazard 6 is the next true sequel in the series, but it's quite distinct from Revelations, which was tailored for a handheld experience, or Operation Raccoon City, which is a third person shooter-style title.

Famitsu: Right. Can we say that the Biohazard series is heading into a new era?

Kawata: 2012 is going to be a year of trial and error. We'll hear praise such as, "That was well made!" or complaints to the tune of "That's not the right way to do it!" And we believe that we'll need to use those comments as a foundation for looking forward to the future...such as the Biohazard 20th Anniversary.

Thoughts on Biohazard and HUNK

Famitsu: Mr. Kawata, for you personally, what game in the series had the deepest impression on you?

Kawata: Of course, the original game would be the one that had quite an impact on me. It's not outlandish to say that the original RE was why I became a real fan of Capcom. That said, one might wonder, "Then why were you already at Capcom (if you weren't a real fan yet)?" (laughs)

Famitsu: (laughs) Please tell us about some of your favorite creatures and characters.

Kawata: I of course like the zombies, but the scariest ones would be Hunters, Lickers and those sorts of creatures. There has got to be a lot of people out there who were shocked when they met the Hunter for the first time and got killed by it. As for the characters, I really like everyone in it. The 6 members of Wolfpack in Operation Raccoon City are quite unique, so I hope fans find them to be memorable.

Famitsu: What about HUNK?

Kawata: HUNK appeared in Biohazard 2, in a scene where he was attacked by Dr. Birkin, who had just injected himself with the G-Virus. That scene had a lot of impact on me. Actually, for a long time, I was always thinking of ways to be able to play a Biohazard game from HUNK's perspective, but this was always difficult to implement from a story perspective. He was prominently featured in the Mercenaries mini game, however. I just remembered how excited I was when we were developing The Umbrella Chronicles, and the director of the game said, "Let's put in HUNK's scenario too!" And when we were deciding on the story for Operation Raccoon City, we decided to base the perspective closer to HUNK's experience.

Famitsu: The Wolfpack members' faces are hidden by masks. Was this influenced by HUNK?

Kawata: Yes. In particular, take a close look at how differently Vector (who was an apprentice of HUNK) speaks to HUNK compared to the other Wolfpack members.

Operation Raccoon City: Focusing on Mass Appeal

Famitsu: There's a dividing line between the system and atmosphere of Operation Raccoon City when compared to the games in the series released up to this point. Please tell us more about the game's concept.

Kawata: You can say that Operation Raccoon City is the series' curveball. It's not just the game system that's changed, but the fact we play on the bad side is also something that hasn't been used in this series yet. And of course, with Raccoon City as the setting, players of Biohazard 2 and 3 should crack a smile at some of the (familiar) situations in the game. The system and story are all on a new plain, so even people who have never played a Biohazard game before will find that the hurdles of getting into Operation Raccoon City are low.

Famitsu: Operation Raccoon City already came out in North America. What have players been saying about it?

Kawata: The elements of playing as the bad guys and the three-sided battle* were all given favorable reception. I think that other features, such as bleeding and being attacked by zombies, or curing infected teammates, are also well done.

Famitsu: Those are definitely signature elements of the Biohazard series. In Japan, we think that there will be a lot of people who will play this game. Do you have any advice for newcomers for versus mode gameplay?

Kawata: It's important to consider how to preserve your ammunition and health. Knowing where ammunition, green herbs and other items are located will be key on your path to becoming good at the game. If you spend time defeating just zombies, then you'll run low on ammo, but if you only defeat human enemies, then you won't be able to gain recovery items. Unlike the common third person shooter, health does not automatically restore itself, so you must really look out for green herbs and first aid sprays and keep your health up while shooting it out with enemies in order to be able to win in the game. The game also features a tutorial, and if you study the missions closely, dealing with every situation will become second nature.

Famitsu: So the campaign is just there to warm you up? It seems that forming a team is also an important part of the game.

Kawata: Indeed. The medics, for example, can carry 2 first aid sprays and can deal with infection more easily, so every team should have 1 of them around.

Extending the Life of the Game Through Download Content

Famitsu: Mr. Kawata, can you tell us about your upcoming involvement with the Biohazard series?*

Kawata: Operation Raccoon City will have downloadable content available. The Echo Six Prologue Mission will be available on May 15 as a free download, so please enjoy it. Following up on that will be new scenarios and maps. As for titles other than Operation Raccoon City, I'm not at liberty to say anything at this time, but I do acknowledge that many people also enjoyed Revelations, so I'm thinking that I want to look into new directions regarding a focus on horror. Challenges are always a necessary thing, so I will continue to take on a variety of them!

Translator's Notes:
1. "Three-sided battle" refers to the Spec Ops vs. the U.S.S. vs. the B.O.W.
2. This was worded in a way that acknowledges Kawata's lack of involvement in the development of Biohazard 6.
3. Words in parenthesis are not actually stated by Kawata, but are necessary to include when translating into English.