Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Developers On Returning To One Of Capcom's Best Series, & What's Next For The Franchise

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster saw the original game in the series return to modern platforms 18 years after its initial release, and eight years after its previous HD remaster. Upon its original release back in 2006, Capcom's title was used to showcase the rendering power of the Xbox 360 with hundreds of zombies appearing on-screen at once. This was achieved by using the Dawn of the Dead-esque premise of survivors trapped in a shopping mall to ensure it was always a busy environment, as players were given the freedom to use a variety of items from different stores to defeat these hordes of the undead, from sporting goods to electric guitars and children's toys, alongside more traditional weapons.

This year, the 2006 classic has been remastered and reanimated from the ground up using the latest RE Engine that powered Resident Evil 7 and 8, the remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, Street Fighter 6, and more to make for a far more visually impressive title with smoother gameplay enhancements. To celebrate Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, director Ryosuke Murai and producer Kei Morimoto answered some of Screen Rant's questions regarding the franchise's return, character changes, and where the series could go next.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster Sees The Franchise Return After 8 Years

The Last Release Was In 2016

Screen Rant: Dead Rising soon became a classic upon its launch on the Xbox 360 in 2006. Since then, it received a re-release to be playable on other modern platforms in 2016. With Dead Rising already being widely accessible, what was the key reason behind making a new version with Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster?

Kei Morimoto: The original Dead Rising is an 18-year-old game with certain “usability” challenges by today’s gaming standards. There are certain elements that aren’t the most user-friendly for an action game either. 2016’s HD Remaster offered gameplay in full HD (1080p). For Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, we were able to achieve 4K resolution, meaning players can enjoy the game with even more impressive graphics and greater detail than the HD Remaster.

In hopes of expanding the Dead Rising player base, we thought it was necessary to make changes that would be obvious even at a quick glance, so we opted for significant graphical improvements. By renewing and modernizing graphics for character models and backgrounds, I don’t think it’d be an exaggeration to describe the visuals as on par with a remake. We also made a variety of improvements so that modern gamers can play this classic title more comfortably. For example, updated controls make it easier to execute skills, and players can now move while aiming a gun. The team also made a wide range of adjustments to game systems, including auto-save implementation and enhancements to survivors’ AI.

Screen Rant: Dead Rising has been dormant as a franchise since the cancelation of Dead Rising 5 in September 2018. Players last got a new entry in the series years before with Dead Rising 4 in 2016. What was it like bringing the series back after 8 years?

Kei Morimoto: First of all, I’m pleased to be able to bring this “deluxe reimagining” of the original Dead Rising to series newcomers around the world in the form of DRDR. The development team was concerned that series fans and veterans wouldn’t be too receptive to the changes we made for DRDR, but we’ve received a lot of positive sentiment about the quality-of-life improvements and graphical enhancements we incorporated. We feel like DRDR successfully preserves the original’s gameplay experience while offering content suitable for a game released in 2024.

Screen Rant: Something I noticed when playing the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster preview was that the sequence with a mother and daughter, Connie and Dakota, has been made into the opening for the game. This sequence is recognizable for long-term fans of the franchise going back to the early promotional materials for the original game, but it was a hidden cutscene for those who left their menu screen idle in the previous releases of Dead Rising. What was the significance of putting this into the core Dead Rising experience in Deluxe Remaster rather than having it as a hidden Easter Egg?

Ryosuke Murai: For Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, we decided to place this cutscene at the beginning of the game thinking that it would help emphasize Frank’s depiction as a journalist who made the bold decision to venture to Willamette in search of a scoop. This mother-daughter cutscene was an intriguing and fitting way to kick off the story of Dead Rising as it depicts the horror and desperation of a zombie outbreak from the perspective of powerless civilians.

What's Next For The Dead Rising Franchise?

Could Deluxe Remaster Rejeuvinate The Series?

Screen Rant: One of the biggest draws for the Dead Rising franchise has always been the sheer variety of ways to defeat zombies. Do you personally have any preferred methods to take on the undead, or are there any you've thought up that you'd like to see added to the franchise at some point?

Ryosuke Murai: Yes! Players can, of course, use conventional and grotesque methods to take down the undead, but there are also a range of more humorous options, which is one of Dead Rising’s unique elements. If you equip the newly added “DIY Fireworks” book and throw jewels at zombies, the resulting visual of scattered explosions and zombies getting blown to bits is really amusing.

These types of comical moments can be a really fun way to enjoy the game and lose track of time. One thing that I’d love to try is using water and equipment like hoses in combat. I think that there are so many ways to have fun with this concept – using streams of water to wash away zombie grime, washing away zombie hordes with strong currents, or even sticking a high-powered hose in a zombie’s mouth and launching it like a bottle rocket. How fun would that be?

Screen Rant: With the release of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, how do you see the series continuing? Could there be Deluxe Remasters of other titles, such as Dead Rising 2, or could we finally get a Dead Rising 5 after all these years? If it's the latter, are there any protagonists from previous games that you'd like to see back in the lead - like when Frank West returned in Off the Record and Dead Rising 4, for example - or would you prefer to see a new lead to continue the anthology approach of Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 3?

Kei Morimoto: Of course, Capcom considers the Dead Rising series to be one of its important IP’s. We’d need to evaluate gaming market trends following the release of Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, but I think there are various possibilities for the franchise depending on the situation. In terms of protagonists, I think it’d be pretty difficult to decide.

Frank West from Dead Rising 1 is one of the most popular protagonists in the series, but Chuck Greene from Dead Rising 2 and Nick Ramos from Dead Rising 3 are both appealing characters as well. The development team would need to discuss what would be best for the series. For now, we’re focusing on promoting Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and hope fans around the world will continue to support and enjoy it.