Dragon’s Dogma 2’s credits suggest a shockingly small number of development staff (Updated)
Update (2024-04-09 11:40 JST): After looking into topic further, we have confirmed that different endings in Dragon’s Dogma 2 display different end credits, and that over 1,000 staff members can be seen credited depending on ending. This is a lot more than the initially reported figure.
It’s been pointed out that Dragon’s Dogma 2’s credit roll counts a relatively small number of staff. Compared to Capcom’s other recent titles, Dragon’s Dogma 2 seems to be dramatically smaller in scale, at least in terms of how many people were involved in its development. This has come as a surprise to many players, given how expansive the RPG’s world and gameplay are.
According to data posted on MobyGames (which appears to have been compiled based on the closing credits of Dragon’s Dogma 2), there were 392 members of staff involved in the game’s development. On the other hand, Resident Evil 4, released by Capcom in February 2023, counts 1,504 staff members, not including special thanks. Street Fighter 6, which was released in June 2023, involved 1,828 people. This means that compared to Dragon’s Dogma 2, both titles were developed by more than three times as many staff members.
Furthermore, the same gap exists with other titles by Hideaki Itsuno, the director of Dragon’s Dogma 2. The development of Devil May Cry 5 (2019) involved 1,222 staff members, and the credits of the first Dragon’s Dogma (2012) counted 616 people – a lot more than the latest sequel.
As far as other AAA titles go, Hogwarts Legacy credits 3,429 staff members and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is close by with 3,077. Although this is based only on what is visible in credit rolls, Dragon’s Dogma 2 seems to have been developed on a significantly smaller scale.
In a prerelease interview, Dragon’s Dogma 2’s producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi told us that Capcom had been waiting for Itsuno to become available to work on the sequel, which is why development started in earnest after the release of DMC 5 five years ago. During this time, Capcom was also in the midst of developing the previously mentioned Resident Evil 4 and Street Fighter 6.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 was developed under the basic concept of a “fantasy world simulator,” according to Itsuno. It also set out to realize various ideas that the original game was unable to implement due to technical limitations at the time. Although the map is said to be more than four times the size of the first game, there are elements that reappear, such as creatures and vocations, so it was likely possible for the devs to reuse some resources. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is also characterized by a system whereby various events occur randomly. This system could be another potential reason why the game required a smaller number of staff, but the efficiency of development is still very impressive in comparison to other big titles.
Dragon’s Dogma 2’s release has been successful so far, with the game selling 2.5 million units worldwide in the first 10 days following launch. At the same time, the game has also been criticized, specifically for performance issues with the Steam version, which caused the game to get review bombed at launch. However, the Steam reviews have recently been picking up, partly due to Capcom’s immediate implementation of updates. As of this writing, Dragon’s Dogma 2 has received approximately 52,000 reviews, of which 58% are positive.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is available for PS5, PC (Steam), and Xbox Series X|S.
Translated by. Amber V (original article’s publication date: 2024-04-05 14:40 JST)
I do think that nearly 400 people on staff is actually a good number but if used well could have resulted in a much better game. For example I do think the focus on realism has hurt this industry as a whole rather than mechanics, style and gameplay this staff could have created something better, but due to the demands that everything must be realistic and graphics be the main focus more staff is added and the more sells the game must pull in along with DLC to then make it’s money back eventually spiraling into a death loop that is unsustainable for long term.
This is something i think Koei Tecmo does better with it’s Team Ninja Engine with Nioh, and Rise Of The Ronin where they do not focus too heavily on graphics but Gameplay and a lot more on nice customization to make beautiful characters. Also the mechanics are very rich due to having more time to focus on this, than every single strand of texture.