Resident Evil Creator Says Games Aren't Good If Players Just Watch Streams

"Our job is to make games that make people want to complete them themselves, even after seeing someone else complete them."

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Game streaming is a bit of a divisive topic among developers, as some see it as free promotion, while others worry that players can watch a full playthrough and not feel the need to buy the game. According to Nikkan Sports, Japanese comedian and YouTuber Eiko Kano recently spoke about the issue with Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, who also founded Tango Gameworks and worked on other iconic titles such as Devil May Cry and The Evil Within.

Kano said he has mixed feelings about streaming games: even though Capcom had permitted him to stream its games, he still wondered how the developers behind those games actually felt about it.

The streamer was fully prepared to stop if Mikami disapproved, but Mikami reportedly replied:

"If viewers watching the game stream are satisfied just by watching it through to the end, then it's not that great of a game. Our job is to make games that make people want to complete them themselves, even after seeing someone else complete them." (machine-translated)

Resident Evil 4

He then reportedly said "keep going," effectively giving his approval. Kano added he had previously heard similar words from Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii on the same topic.

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