Resident Evil and Apple: The Future of Mobile Gaming

Resident Evil 4 is coming to iPhone 15 Pro, and I couldn't be more excited

On September 12, Apple held its annual autumn event, called Wonderlust this year, where they revealed the iPhone 15 and a slew of other updated products. Although Apple’s events are always hardware and product-focused, the Cupertino company has in recent years been showcasing bits and pieces of developers and their games, especially those that can utilize some technological feature in their new phone, computer, or tablet.

One of the more surprising gaming announcements at Wonderlust came from Capcom itself. As part of a video montage of game developers from all over the world, Capcom’s Tsuyoshi Kanda appeared and formally announced that the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil: Village were both coming to the iPhone 15 Pro, made possible through Apple’s just-announced A17 Pro mobile processor. Kanda ends his segment by declaring that “this is the future of mobile gaming, thanks to the power of iPhone 15 Pro.”

A Capcom press release issued later in the day (Wonderlust took place on September 15 at 2am in Japan) clarified that along with the iPhone 15 Pro, M1 iPad and Macs would also be receiving a port of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil: Village (the latter was released on M1 Macs in late 2022, but the iOS ports are new.)

In a world where devices like the Steam Deck exist and gaming audiences anxiously await the arrival of Nintendo’s long-rumored Nintendo Switch successor, Kanda’s statement is quite bold, but ultimately a very fair one. Unlike the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, the iPhone, or any smartphone for that matter, has a ubiquitous presence in people’s lives. I take my iPhone with me everywhere, and while its utility is enhanced by being part of Apple’s ecosystem together with the Apple Watch, iPad, Apple TV and macOS, if I lost every device except my iPhone, it would cover 90%, probably more, of my daily technological needs.

That remaining 10% the iPhone hasn’t been able to address are my most common gaming needs, like playing a true RE game on the go in a non-compromised, non-derivative state. And now that too, is starting to change, thanks to this new announcement. Just four short years ago, the idea of having the original 2005 version of RE4 on a handheld platform like the Switch was mind-blowing. And now its impressive remake is going to be on my smartphone. I said “wow!”