Released in March for the iPhone 15 Pro, iPad, and Mac, Resident Evil 3 didn't achieve the commercial success Capcom had hoped for. Despite the appeal of a horror classic and Apple's support in promoting it, the title recorded modest download and revenue figures.
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Data from Appmagic indicates fewer than 115,000 downloads and revenue of less than $50,000 in the first three weeks. Appfigures, another mobile market analysis platform, reports even lower figures: 54,000 downloads and revenue of just $22,000 in the same period.
Resident Evil 3's free-to-play model doesn't drive sales
Capcom has adopted a "free-to-start" format, allowing players to try out part of the game before deciding to purchase the full game. The unlock costs $9.99, but the price is expected to increase to around $30 starting April 16th. There's also an additional $1.99 purchase that unlocks all the game's rewards.
Despite the accessible approach, the strategy didn't generate widespread adoption. However, the performance mirrors the pattern seen in other iOS ports of the franchise. Titles like Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil Village, and Resident Evil 4 also fell short of revenue expectations, despite their prominence on the App Store.
Mobile market still resists large franchises
Resident Evil 3's performance highlights a broader challenge: convincing mobile audiences to invest in premium games. Even with advanced graphics and adapted gameplay, established franchises like Assassin's Creed Mirage and Death Stranding have also failed to attract mainstream audiences on Apple devices.
In the case of Resident Evil 2, for example, it took six weeks to reach $100,000 in revenue, according to Appmagic. Thus, the figure is considered modest considering the investments in marketing and technology to port the game.
Financial sustainability remains uncertain
With successive releases yielding low returns, doubts are growing about the viability of adapting AAA games for iOS. The lukewarm reception indicates that mobile audiences, for the most part, still prefer free-to-play titles with microtransactions over paid games with console-like narratives and structure.
Meanwhile, developers are evaluating whether the high conversion costs justify the results. For now, the data reinforces that not even renowned franchises guarantee automatic success in the Apple ecosystem.
