Capcom Officially Reveals Plans to “Re-Activate” More IPs Following Onimusha’s Success

Onimusha: Way of the Sword has given Capcom’s dormant-IP strategy another boost. The first new game in the series in more than 20 years has already crossed a major sales milestone, giving the company a fresh example of what an old franchise can do when it returns.

Capcom, now having released three back-to-back hits in 2026 alone, has confirmed that it wants to keep looking through its extensive library for other IPs that have been sitting on the sidelines. While it has not said which franchise could be next, fans surely have no shortage of ideas.

Capcom Is Looking to Resurrect More of Its Dormant IPs

Welcome back, Musashi. Thank you, Musashi. | Credits: Capcom

Capcom announced via an official press release on Monday, September 7, that Onimusha: Way of the Sword sold more than 1 million units worldwide on its first day of release. The game launched on September 4 and has also pushed total sales of the Onimusha series beyond 10 million units.

The company pointed to several pre-release efforts, including multiple demos and hands-on exhibitions, as part of its push to introduce Way of the Sword to a wider audience. It also described the game as the first new Onimusha title in over 20 years.

More importantly, Capcom used the announcement to outline where it wants to go next. The company said it is continuing to release major new games while also focusing on older properties that have not received a new title recently:

In addition to regularly releasing major new titles each year, Capcom is focusing on re-activating IPs that haven’t had a new title launch recently. The company is working to further maximize corporate value by leveraging its rich library of content, including this title.

That said, this is not an entirely new direction for the company but more of a reaffirmation of the same. The Japanese video gaming giant has previously identified dormant-IP revivals as part of its development strategy, and in December 2024, announced both Onimusha: Way of the Sword and a new Okami project as examples of that approach.

Which Dormant Capcom IPs Do Fans Want Back?

If Capcom is looking for ideas, it certainly does not need to ask fans twice. In fact, the company’s own 2024 Super Elections survey asked players which series they wanted to see receive a sequel or new game, in which Dino Crisis received the most votes (80,769). Mega Man came in second with 63,395, and Darkstalkers also made the top five.

Dino Crisis has been dormant since Dino Crisis 3 in 2003, putting the series at 23 years without a new game. Darkstalkers has an even longer wait, with the last mainline release arriving in 1997. Neither has a new game announced, though, and Capcom has given no indication that either is next.

There are plenty of other names fans would like to see return, too, including Breath of Fire, Viewtiful Joe, and Lost Planet. The important part is that Onimusha has shown that a franchise can spend decades away and still return to a sizeable audience when the developers give it the right treatment. Now, fans will be watching to see which of the company’s other dormant IPs gets its own chance to make a comeback.

What Capcom franchise would you most like to see return? Let us know in the comments below!