On February 16th, Capcom held its annual press event. The meeting began with a summary of Capcom's plans for the current year, and a recap of last year's successes. Marc Beaumont, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, began the day's event by noting that Capcom's efforts will be spearheaded by its next-generation lineup, as well as a diversification effort, bringing established flagship brands to new platforms. He noted that 2006 will be a transition year for both the market and for Capcom, with games being developed for the next generation of systems, specifically the Xbox 360.

Kenzo Tsujimoto, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capcom, continued the address, detailing Capcom's current direction. With last year's Xbox 360 launch, and this year's launch of the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution, he feels that Capcom must establish its place as a top software producer in this industry. The two prominent titles that are in development for this next generation of systems were introduced: Dead Rising and Lost Planet. He went on to detail Capcom's plans for the PlayStation 3, including next generation installments of the Devil May Cry and Resident Evil series. Well aware of how well the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable are doing, Mr. Tsujimoto mentioned bringing the Monster Hunter franchise to the PSP. In Japan, Monster Hunter has sold over half a million copies, the first game on the handheld to do so.


Mr. Tsujimoto also made a point to discuss the mobile gaming market at length. His intention is to beef up mobile gaming through introducing mobile versions of some of Capcom's most popular franchise titles. "It's no big secret that research and development costs for next generation systems are going to be bigger than ever," he said. Capcom is making efforts to produce exciting titles not just for the next-generation, but also in mobile gaming and merchandising of their more popular characters and franchises. They would pursue opportunities not just in games, but also in other parts of the entertainment industry. Mr. Tsujimoto also made a point to recount the critical acclaim Capcom earned in the previous year; Resident Evil 4's Game of the Year recognition from the Spike TV video game awards, and its worldwide sales of just under 4 million copies.

Atsushi Inaba, President of Clover Studio was next to take up the microphone behind the podium, discussing Okami. "If I were to have to sum up Okami in one word," Inaba stated, "it may come off as bragging, but it would be fantastic." The audience was then shown a video of Okami in action, giving us glimpses of the celestial brush in action, as well as the overwhelming artistry that is the game's distinctive feature. According to Inaba, Okami is based around an action shell, with adventure and role-playing elements, in an attempt to provide a gaming experience that would endear nearly any sort of player.