Released in March for iPhone 15 Pro, iPad, and Mac, Resident Evil 3 did not achieve the commercial performance that Capcom had hoped for. Even with the appeal of a horror classic and Apple's support in its promotion, the title registered modest numbers in downloads and revenue.
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Data from the company Appmagic indicates fewer than 115,000 downloads and revenue of less than US$50,000 in the first three weeks. Appfigures, another mobile market analysis platform, points to even lower figures: 54,000 downloads and revenue of only US$22,000 in the same period.
The free-to-play model for Resident Evil 3 doesn't boost sales
Capcom has adopted a "free-to-start" format, in which the player tests part of the game before deciding to purchase the full version. Unlocking the game costs US$9.99, but the price is expected to rise to around US$30 starting April 16th. There is also an additional purchase of US$1.99 that unlocks all in-game rewards.
Despite the affordable price point, the strategy didn't result in 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, even with prominent placements on the App Store.
The mobile market is still resisting large franchises
The performance of Resident Evil 3 exposes 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 a large audience 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. Therefore, this figure is considered modest given the investments in marketing and technology required to port the game.
Financial sustainability remains uncertain
With successive low-return releases, doubts are growing about the viability of adapting AAA games for iOS. The lukewarm reception indicates that the mobile audience, for the most part, still prefers free-to-play titles with microtransactions, rather than paid games with console-style narratives and structures.
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.
