How Resident Evil 4 Saved The Resident Evil Franchise

GameSpot’s big new video week continues with the first installment of “How It Saved.” This is a recurring series in which senior producer Dave Klein documents how specific games have pulled franchises back from the brink, or in some cases, how they helped save game studios stay up and running.

The Resident Evil series debuted in 1996, and it helped define the survival horror genre, and its sequels expanded on the formula and helped grow the franchise to new heights. In the debut episode, “How Resident Evil 4 Saved Resident Evil,” Dave discusses in detail how the 2005 game helped turn things around after the series began to slow down in terms of sales.

“Resident Evil 4 carried the torch for Resident Evil through a slowing of interest in survival horror. It completely revitalized the series, introduced it to new fans, and was able to pave a path for Resident Evil until its next big comeback,” Dave argues in the video. “Resident Evil 4 may be divisive for some, but I think there’s no doubt that it saved the Resident Evil franchise.”

If you are just catching up, check out GameSpot’s History of Legend of Zelda video and the first episode of The Kurt Locker that digs into all the recent remakes. You can also watch a video about why you’re doing yourself a disservice by only playing Resident Evil 4’s remake once. We also have a neat video where a swords expert reacts to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s lightsabers.