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Virtual-Reality Horror Game Tests Limits of Tech, Nausea

  • ’A player screaming out in terror is the sweetest music’
  • Developer seeks to break new ground with Resident Evil series
Capcom will commit its Resident Evil franchise to virtual reality.

Capcom will commit its Resident Evil franchise to virtual reality.

Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg
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Capcom Co. isn’t just the first major video-game publisher to commit a key franchise to virtual reality -- it’s also doing so with its zombie-horror series Resident Evil, bringing a whole new level of challenges to the endeavor.

It’s the first major first-person-shooter style game -- think of Halo or Call of Duty -- to be adapted for VR, and Capcom is discovering that too much immersion can quickly turn to discomfort and leave people sick. And because the developers want to make it as real as possible, they can’t rely on commonly used shortcuts, such as taking over the screen or using movie-like narratives to move the game along.