[EXCLUSIVE] Resident Evil Survival Unit Executive Producer Shinji Hashimoto Opens Up About Resident Evil’s Mobile Evolution

Currently serving as Senior Vice President of the ForwardWorks Room at Aniplex Inc. and Senior Advisor to Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., Hashimoto’s journey began at Bandai Co., Ltd. in 1983, where he gained recognition as Hashimoto Meijin through television appearances. After co-founding Cobra Team in 1991 and joining Square in 1997, he held various leadership positions including Brand Manager for the Final Fantasy series and Executive Corporate Officer at Square Enix Holdings until 2022.

A New Direction Born from Retirement Plans

The story behind Resident Evil Survival Unit emerged from what was supposed to be Hashimoto’s retirement. “In Japan, once you reach the retirement age, you’re supposed to step down. He considered retiring from Square Enix and began meeting with colleagues to say goodbye,” the translator explained. However, the industry had other plans for the veteran developer.

“But many people told him, ‘You can still work longer, Hashimoto-san.’ When he visited Capcom to say hello, Ryozo-san (Ryozo Tsujimoto) encouraged him to take on something new. That interaction eventually led to bringing the Resident Evil IP into this project.”

This career shift also allowed Hashimoto to break free from being typecast. “If you look at Hashimoto-san’s previous work, you might first associate him with Kingdom Hearts, but in fact, he has also worked on many realistic-style projects such as Front Mission and Final Fantasy. He never wanted to be tied down to one style—he always wanted to try new things. This project became his first initiation into something different.”

Embracing the Mobile Gaming Challenge

Moving from console and PC development to mobile gaming represents a significant platform shift for Hashimoto. When asked about this transition, the response was practical: “Of course, if another opportunity arises, he would love to work on console games again. But at the moment, mobile is a very significant market with a huge player base, so he wanted to take on that challenge.”

The team has been working to balance franchise authenticity with mobile adaptation. “We’ve been working closely with Capcom to ensure that the game fits within the established Resident Evil world setting. There are certain criteria we need to meet to stay faithful to the franchise, while also adapting it for mobile.”

The approach requires careful consideration: “It’s a delicate balance—we can’t do everything exactly like the console games, but there will indeed be a story element. And the timing works out quite well, since a new Resident Evil is also coming soon. I’m not saying this is a direct collaboration, but launching around the same time creates a very good synergy.”

Rethinking Horror for Mobile Players

One of the most significant challenges was capturing Resident Evil’s signature fear factor on mobile devices. The team discovered a fundamental limitation: “Hashimoto-san originally wanted the mobile game to be very scary too. But when thinking deeper, he realized that the biggest part of Resident Evil’s fear factor comes from sound. And on mobile, most players don’t use headphones. That creates a huge challenge.”

When Hashimoto consulted with Capcom about this challenge, their response was encouraging: “We want Hashimoto-san to bring his own flavor to our franchise. Think differently.” This creative freedom led to a strategic shift: “So he shifted his approach. Instead of replicating pure horror, he decided to go in a new direction, designing a different tone for the mobile experience.”

The reaction from Capcom surprised even Hashimoto: “He expected Capcom might reject it, saying ‘This isn’t survival, this isn’t horror, this isn’t Resident Evil.’ But instead, they responded positively: ‘This is great, let’s go with it.’”

To execute this new vision, Hashimoto sought expertise in mobile strategy games: “To bring this new strategy to life, he partnered with us at JoyCity, who have long experience developing strategy mobile games. He approached us to discuss the market and gameplay direction, and through that collaboration we were able to convince Capcom that this strategy-focused approach was the right way forward.”

Beyond Single-Player Survival

The multiplayer aspect became a key differentiator for the mobile version. “One key reason we took this project in a strategy direction is the multiplayer aspect. Of course, you can play solo and enjoy the world by yourself. But as you progress, forming alliances and competing against larger groups of players becomes a very different and exciting experience.”

This social element opens new gameplay possibilities: “This opens up new kinds of communication and social interaction, which we believe has a lot of potential. We want players to discover new kinds of fun through these features.”

The Future of Japanese Gaming

Regarding the broader industry trend toward multi-platform releases, Hashimoto sees this as more than following market trends: “He believes the Japanese game industry faces a major challenge in breaking into new platforms. Expanding into PC or mobile isn’t about following a trend—it’s about proving that developers can succeed in those ecosystems.”

Success requires more than just porting games: “Only once you prove success on a new platform can you truly consider what ‘multi-platform’ really means—not just in terms of market share, but in terms of creative depth. That’s when larger, higher-quality projects can emerge.”

The current state of the Japanese gaming industry makes this expansion critical: “Right now, many Japanese studios are going through restructuring and facing difficulties. To break out of that, they must find new platforms—whether mobile or PC—as their next breakthrough. It’s an ongoing challenge, not simply a trend.”

While the game remains in pre-registration, the team is making final preparations: “We are almost done and still in preparation. Once we announce the official launch, the rollout will likely happen soon after. We’re very eager to share more details when the time is right.”

For players wondering what to expect, the team emphasizes the social aspects: “We want players to discover new kinds of fun through these features” that come from the multiplayer and alliance systems that define this mobile take on the Resident Evil universe.