Apple surprised many last year by revealing that its iPhone 15 Pro series would support high-quality AAA console games, partnering with renowned companies like Capcom to bring modern games to the mobile platform. Despite a lukewarm reception in the market, Capcom seems to be making its iOS adaptations even less appealing by mandating that all its Resident Evil titles must now have an active internet connection for play.

Capcom took to social media platform Twitter to share the news of an update for its Resident Evil games on iOS. The company stated, “iPhone/iPad/Mac players. New patches are available for Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, and Resident Evil Village. Please update the games via the App Store.”

Despite updates usually being welcomed, in this instance, players might want to consider delaying the update as the patch notes reveal that the primary change is the implementation of digital rights management (DRM), making it essential for Resident Evil 7, RE4, and Village to have an internet connection for launch. The update’s notes assert, “Due to changes in the startup process, an internet connection is now required when starting this app.”

While not the pioneer in demanding an internet connection for mobile games, all of Capcom’s iOS games to date have been single-player experiences, making the requirement for an active internet connection during launch seem unjustifiable unless the company aims to collect additional player data.

Previous reports indicate that the AAA titles brought to iPhones have struggled in terms of sales, with the Resident Evil series specifically purportedly having sold less than 100,000 units collectively – at best.

It’s plausible that Capcom is employing this strategy to try to recover costs, even if it means delving into players’ game data. The reception from fans towards this alteration will be intriguing to observe.

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