If you've ever tried hacking and slashing demons while trying to achieve an S-rank combo, you'll know that the Devil May Cry franchise is possibly one of gaming's most innovative in the genre.
Pioneering the classic hack-and-slash genre we know today, Devil May Cry paved the way for many action RPGs to flourish in modern gaming. It introduced combat that truly tests your skills as a player and even became the standard in modern gaming for flashy combat and gameplay.
Now that it's been 4 years since the latest release of the award-winning Devil May Cry 5 on Sony's PlayStation 5, Capcom are taking their time developing Devil May Cry 6.
Capcom fans won't settle for that ending in Devil May Cry 5, especially since it was left as a cliffhanger.
But why won't Capcom release at least a teaser of Devil May Cry 6? Is the franchise on hiatus? Will Dante and Virgil spar forever? From the looks of it, Devil May Cry 5 is the answer to all these.
The Beginning of Greatness: How Devil May Cry Came to Be
Initially, Devil May Cry was developed as Resident Evil 4, which is possibly why Sony claims that the best Resident Evil game was born out of the best-selling PlayStation 2.
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+ 3Directed by Hideki Kamiya, this pre-release version of Resident Evil 4 had a much bigger "coolness" element to it that Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami thought that it had strayed too far from the previous Resident Evil games.
However, it was still too cool to be abandoned, so it was rewritten to fit the narrative of the first Devil May Cry game.
Kamiya went to work on Dante's character, portraying him as someone "you would want to go out drinking with", making Dante feel familiar with the audience. And thus, Devil May Cry was born.
The Journey Towards Devil May Cry 5
The franchise's journey toward Devil May Cry 5's success was not smooth. Devil May Cry 2 wasn't stellar, considering the first game was a commercial success.
Capcom learned from its mistakes and improved Devil May Cry 3, but even the third installment had its own issues. The PC version was ported so poorly that devils may literally cry out of frustration.
However, the PlayStation 2 version of Devil May Cry 3 became the standard for the upcoming titles in the franchise. Devil May Cry 4 and DmC: Devil May Cry were fantastic in their own rights, which eventually led to the development of Devil May Cry 5.
The Real Reason Why There Is No Devil May Cry 6 Yet
Across multiple platforms, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition is the most successful title in the series, second only to the original game on the PS2.
Devil May Cry 5 perfectly recrafted the franchise formula while staying true to its roots. Nero's character is also a refreshing take on the series without overshadowing Dante and the other characters who made the franchise great.
click to enlarge + 3Capcom did a fantastic job in developing Devil May Cry 5 which received various accolades such as the Award for Excellence during the 2019 Japan Game Awards, as well as the Best Visual Design Award during the Golden Joystick Award of the same year.
Not only that, but it also won the Best Action Game Award during The Game Awards 2019, cementing its status as one of the best games of the year.
Devil May Cry 5 has sold 8.7 million units as of October 2024, marking its place as Capcom's 11th best-selling game of all time.
With this many accolades and sales from Devil May Cry 6, you can't help but wonder "Is Devil May Cry 5 truly the reason why Capcom isn't doing Devil May Cry 6? Where the hell is Devil May Cry 6?".
Devil May Cry 6 Has Bigger Demon Boots to Fill
Considering the gap between the fourth and fifth installments, Devil May Cry 6 may be a couple of years away. While Capcom will surely create a sequel (as they should), the upcoming game has bigger boots to fill.
With the success of almost every title in the franchise, Devil May Cry 6 is left with no choice but to further elevate the series in many ways that are not yet seen before.
click to enlarge + 32024 is a weird year for game releases, and massive flops have started to become the norm. Devil May Cry 6 is in no position to be a sub-par game compared to the rest of the franchise, now that the next-gen consoles are upon us anytime soon.
Devil May Cry 5 introduced several new characters that can be the perfect cast as main protagonists. While Dante has been iconic since 2001, some may agree that the new characters were written so well that they can now bear the banner of the franchise.
Devil May Cry 6 may be nowhere in sight, and many Devil May Cry fans will just have to put their faith in Capcom as they create the next revolutionary game of the franchise. Until then, the hunting and slaying will be in Monster Hunter Wilds.
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