Resident Evil Creator Claims Mods Are "No Different" From Cheating

Capcom is well-known in the gaming world for hit franchises like Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, and Mega Man, among several others. Many of those games, particularly the modern Resident Evil titles, have benefited from user support in the form of mods. Who can forget all of the hilarious costumes players added to Mr. X when Resident Evil 2 Remake was released? However, a recent video shows that Capcom might not view the modding scene in the same light as many in the community. In fact, the RE creator claims that user mods are "no different" from cheating.

Capcom's Stance on Mods and Cheating

A few days ago, the Capcom R&D YouTube channel posted a new video outlining its internal recommendations for anti-cheat and anti-piracy measures on PCs. Among this list of recommendations is the company's stance on mods, claiming that user creations are "no different" from cheating when it comes to how they negatively impact a specific game. 

Capcom's exact words are, "all mods  are defined as cheats, except when they are officially supported," and that "what they are doing internally is no different than cheating." It goes on to say that if users publish mods with offensive content can be "detrimental" to the company's or franchise's reputation. For example, if someone were to publish a scandalous Resident Evil mod, it might cause users to view Capcom differently, thinking the mod was official.

On top of that, the company claims that mods might introduce new bugs, requiring more support from Capcom. That seems a bit more questionable. It's also worth noting that Capcom doesn't outright say mods are bad or that they'll be looking for ways to ban them for its games, saying "the majority of mods can have a positive impact on the game." That said, it is a bit weird to be lumping mods and cheating together, especially when so many of Capcom's titles are primarily single-player games where mods don't affect a competitive balance.

Capcom's Upcoming Titles

Capcom's 2024 slate is mostly unknown at this point. The only game with a locked-in release date is Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy's port. There have been rumors going around that the company will have a "major unannounced" release in early 2024, but it's impossible to say what that is at this point. Dragon's Dogma 2 should be out at some point next year, but its release date is also unknown. 

Outside of that, it's mostly guesswork. At some point, the team will want to bring out the next Monster Hunter and Resident Evil games. Of the two, Monster Hunter is probably the most likely for 2024 since Resident Evil Village just released in 2022. It's definitely possible we get both next year, but it would make more sense to spread them out and give them time to breathe. The next Monster Hunter could be that game rumored for early 2024, though it seems like that's the type of game Capcom would want to announce several months early to start building hype. Either way, 2024 should be an exciting time for Capcom fans, even if its new stance on modding is concerning.