Capcom: Dante redesign controversy raises DMC's visibility

by Alexander Sliwinski on Oct 21st 2010 2:00PM

The reaction to Dante's new look for the Devil May Cry reboot had Capcom asking, "Why so serious?" The publisher's VP of Strategic Planning and Biz Dev. Christian Svensson told IGN that the company knew Dante's new look would bring a "knee-jerk reaction from fans." He said, "To be fair, I think some of the strategy here was to create that discussion and dialogue, and I think it drastically raises the visibility of the title versus if we had just done another Dante."

He explained the original concepts that came back for the new Dante were too close to the flamboyant source material. Capcom's Keiji Inafune and Hideaki Itsuno weren't having any of that and told the team to, according to Svensson, be "much more creative." Svensson explains that, "This is meant to be an origin story, so this is Dante before you knew who Dante was." Wait, you mean he was more than that guy with the white hair, wearing a red leather trench coat? Surprising, 'cause that's all we can seem to remember about him.

Source: IGN

Tags: Capcom, christian-svensson, dante, dmc-devil-may-cry, microsoft, ninja-theory, playstation, ps3, xbox

Reader Comments (94)

Silly Capcom, all you need is an airport terrorism scene.

@IGLAW

I hope we can do this for black ops.

@IGLAW

You, sir, are a Pinhead!

@IGLAW
To be honest, I care less about the change in appearance and more about the change in game developer.

I don't know who these "fans" are that are concerned about the look. They should be concerned about the core gameplay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfdzyIrd89U
Bring back that Dante and I think we'll all be happy

@TheSaiyan

They'll probably add "Original Dante" as a paid costume DLC. Sad thing is that everyone will buy it...

@TheSaiyan
Wait wtf Hamlet? I didn't realize Dante was so cultured.

His redesign isn't what makes it sticks out for me. It's the develope and the fact that I have never played a decent fast paced hack 'n slash on Unreal engine.

@TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2
Finally, someone speaking some sense. This change in appearance shouldn't be people's main concern. They should be worried about how this new reboot will *play*

I agree with them though.
Had they just created another same-y looking DMC, it will just stuck in the same dwindling fanbase.

Does anyone really care about this franchise anymore? The last one hit $29.99 in what, a month? I don't hear anyone ever mention DMC anywhere.

@jblank

Considering they just added Dante in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 I'd say it's still pretty relevant. I think everyone is forgetting how important Devil May Cry was to the whole genre. The formula of the first Devil May Cry was used in God of War and every hack n' slash since.

@TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2

Except Ninja Gaiden which was superior in every way. Who is in MvC3 seems the opposite of relevant. Amaterasu is up in there, and I don't see her getting a new game any time soon. I know there is a game coming out, but it's, again, a reboot of the series with a complete makeover.

What's wrong with a game about Dante in his youth before he went gray?

@Assmar you missed her DS game?

@Assmar

I don't think anything is wrong with it, if you'll see my post above. I just don't approve of the devs or the engine. Also, Modern Ninja Gaiden (IE 3D version) first came out in 2004. Devil May Cry came out in 2001. Ninja Gaiden was heavily influenced by Devil May Cry. It should be superior since it came out 3 years later. My point was, Devil May Cry defined the genre so it's sort of annoying when people act like it's a dead or useless series. That's like saying Mario is an old and tired series for platformers.

@Assmar

Neither game is a reboot; Okamiden is a sequel and DMC is a prequel.

@danthe57

Okamiden is a reboot, and Chibiteraso is a makeover.

Can you read or do you choose not to?

@TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2

I might not say that about Mario because those games are still fun to play, but had you put Resident Evil out there, you might get some mixed reactions. Some people like terrible games, and so they hold tight to the false notion that RE4 ruined the series. Of course they would be wrong, because this is a clear instance in which change benefited a series.

You are absolutely effing right about Ninja Theory though. Still, DMC 3 and 4 came out after the Ninja Gaiden reboot, and to many people it appeared that they learned nothing in 4 years, which is why we've arrived to this contentious situation today.

@Assmar

I'm not saying it shouldn't evolve, I encourage that. The only thing I'm saying is that it has it's place in video game history, that's it.

@Assmar

Capcom themselves classified Okamiden as both a "spiritual successor" and "spin-off". It was never called a "reboot" by anyone.

@Assmar

Uh... where is this information coming from? I've never heard any talk of Okamiden being a reboot before.

http://www.1up.com/news/okamiden-hits

@The Joy of Painting w Bob Ross

Yeah, I was under the impression that I was still looking forward to the game, and was surprised by comments that implied it was already out. The amazon description says it's a sequel, very clearly, that will star the offspring of Amaterasu as the main character.

@TraceurRyuk

Yes, of course it has its place in gaming history.

@TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2

"That's like saying Mario is an old and tired series for platformers. "

That would happen if Mario games stopped being great and innovative. See what happened to Sonic.

I seriously thought that was a shopped photo of the guy who plays Harry Potter in the movies.

I have never fully played a DMC title, simply missed the boat, but I think there is a bit of overreaction from the fanbase...

@BlackedOut
Imagine if Mickey Mouse was no longer a black mouse with red shorts.
Or Donald Duck was green.
Or Winnie the Pooh was grey with a blue shirt.
Do you see my point? After 4 games and a Anime series Capcom decide to change their iconic figure.

And I know what you mean about “fully playing” a DMC title. I have DMC1 and DMC3 and I find them absolutely impossible to play. They are far to “twitchy” for my feeble wrists. :)

When I saw the picture, all I thought was that it was a loose rip off of the Joker from The Dark Knight. Green hair, black eyes, scarred mouth, white skin...

"This is meant to be an origin story, so this is Dante before you knew who Dante was."

Wasn't that DMC3?

@NaeemTHM

This is before DMC3, i believe this is Dante before he became a more calm individual.

@Saturdays
But a real origin story would be about Sparda, not Dante. This is just Capcom being stupid.

@NaeemTHM

It's a prequel of a prequel.

The next installment after this one will be Dante in his toddler years and that's going to have more uproar because he has neither white or black hair, he's bald, because of his devilish brother for putting a curse on him in the preschool yard.

It's going to be great.

@jobocan
Now a Sparda (or maybe even Vergil) game will be a game that must be played. Granted that Capcom doesn't screw that one also.

Dante has already died in my eyes...

@Youthinized

Babysitting: Dante?

@Saturdays
You mean before he found pizza and strawberry smoothies.

@Saturdays

DMC3 Dante was 18 years old...this DMC Reboot's Dante is also 18 years old(But he looks like he's 22+).

Capcom is just beening stupid ignoring that DMC3 even existed.

@Youthinized

I think a diaper change minigame would be more enjoyable than this new DMC.

I'd be fine if this was a bait and switch, where this current new Dante was a gag and then they show us the REAL new Dante... but I doubt that will happen. Yeah, you're going to get visibility, but with a scrawny, emo, wuss-looking character like that, I think it's going to backfire on you. I mean, jesus, at least give him some clothes that FIT, for chrissakes. He doesn't look like a badass; he looks like he needs to go cut up his wrists and pain his room black. Ugh.

Plus, it really doesn't help that the design looks like its based off of the guy from Ninja Theory. If anything it looks incredibly vain.

@Gaddes
Let me make it clear, I'm not opposed to a new looking Dante... I just think that if you say you're going to make a new BADASS that he should actually LOOK like a badass. Just having this guy sneer doesn't cut it in the slightest.

"weren't having none"?

Am I the only one that thinks this new Dante is 100x more "flamboyant" than the source material (ie. old Dante)? I hear all this talk about how they wanted to toughen Dante up, but the new guy is totally the opposite in my eyes.

@LightShow

Did you really just ask if you were the only one that thought that?

@TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2

I did, yeah. Do you have anything constructive to add or are you just going to be a douche?

@LightShow

My dickery just comes out naturally. So I'm just most likely going to be a douche.

@LightShow

Yeah, I have no idea how this guy is less flamboyent than the old Dante. Perhaps red coat = flamboyent in Capcom's dictionary.

I don't even know if flamboyent is the correct term. Neither I would really say is flamboyent per se. This one is however, less manly looking, to my untrained eyes.

@LightShow

Nope. In fact, I was going to just post basically the same thing.

Called the publicity angle from the start!

You wanna know how I got this scar....?

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
He got carried away with the butter knife and got peanut butter everywhere. Quickly removing the knife, he slashed his mouth.

At least, that's how it looks like it went down...

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Naw... looks like he was taking a drag of a cigarette while writing in his diary in his own blood. He got careless, and while being used to chewing on a pen in thought, went to chew on his razor blade...

The other half of the mouth he did just to make it match and be non conformist.

Has anyone noticed that the people saying the fans are overreacting about the new Dante are the same people who say they're not fans of DMC in the first place?

It's pretty easy to act like it's no big deal when you don't care about it in the first place.

Let's say tomorrow they announced a new God of War. This new GoW is to be developed by... Let's say Yuke's. For no reason.
Kratos needs a new look of course, so let's get rid of the goatee and red markings on his face. Make him look like he's on heroin and give him dreadlocks. Instead of his usual outfit, let's give him baggy jeans and a wife-beater.
And make him drink beer. Gotta have that to make him look hardcore, amirite?
On top of all this, this new Kratos is here to stay. Surprise! It's a reboot! 8D
Goodbye old Kratos~

Now, if this happened, I wouldn't give a shit. I'm not a fan of God of War or Kratos.
Of course, the Kratos fans WOULD give a shit. They'd be outraged. They'd be complaining constantly and be infuriated with the developers and such.

So just because I don't care about the series in the first place, should I just act like it's no big deal? Should I act like it's perfectly okay that they did this? Does that sound right to anyone here?
"You guys are just overreacting, so what if the main character looks different, the gameplay could still be fun, durr hurr."

Yeah. Sure. DMC fans are overreacting all right. :/

@ToastyToasy

You have ever right to be upset about it. I'd be butthurt too if the publisher of one of my favorite games decided to change that game to try and recruit more sales because they weren't making enough money off me and other fans of the game.

*cough*
Resident Evil
Prince of Persia
Okami

Get over it.

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DmC: Devil May Cry

Capcom: Dante redesign controversy raises DMC's visibility

Reader Comments (94)

Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:02PM IGLAW said

Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:36PM kentuckyfried said

Posted: Oct 22nd 2010 1:05AM Bill OReilly said

Posted: Oct 22nd 2010 3:19AM Kabapu said

Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:06PM TheSaiyan said

Posted: Oct 21st 2010 10:59PM ironneko said

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Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:06PM TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2 said

Posted: Oct 22nd 2010 3:21AM Kabapu said

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Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:35PM Acosta02 said

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Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:42PM Assmar said

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Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:57PM The Joy of Painting w Bob Ross said

Posted: Oct 21st 2010 3:01PM Acosta02 said

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Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:34PM RollingSun2000 said

Posted: Oct 21st 2010 7:21PM Mouthsmasher said

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Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:16PM Saturdays said

Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:36PM jobocan said

Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:53PM Youthinized said

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Posted: Oct 21st 2010 2:10PM Gaddes said

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