Listen closely: do you hear that sound? It's the cry of hundreds of beleaguered Dino Crisis fans, mourning the revival that could've been.
Adi Shankar, the creator of Netflix's upcoming Devil May Cry show and a filmmaker with a strong reputation for video game anime adaptations (Castlevania, Captain Laserhawk), revealed some interesting information in a recent X/Twitter post. Specifically, when he first started talking to Capcom years ago, his sights weren't actually set on Devil May Cry.
He began by sharing some quick thoughts on each of the three Dino Crisis games, praising the first two while conceding that the third "lost that magic" as it headed off Earth.
"Why am I telling you this?" he continued. "Because when I first went to Capcom in 2017, my mission was clear: I wanted to bring Dino Crisis back. But in an awesome twist of fate, they sold me Devil May Cry instead! I didn’t think DMC would even be on the table."
1. Dino Crisis 1 nailed the survival horror vibe, blending the tension of Resident Evil with the sheer terror of being hunted by dinosaurs—perfect.
2.Dino Crisis 2 took it up a notch with fast-paced action & incredible level design.
3.Sadly, Dino Crisis 3 lost that magic—it took… pic.twitter.com/0pOZReOdkf— Adi Shankar (@adishankarbrand) November 6, 2024
It's an almost comically tragic twist of fate for Dino Crisis enthusiasts, who have long awaited another installment in the survival series created by Resident Evil's Shinji Mikami. "Like it’s cool Devil May Cry fans can eat but god damn. Dino Crisis fans stay in sad I guess," bemoaned one X/Twitter user.
The last mainline Dino Crisis game came out all the way back in 2003, and rumors have swirled for years about a potential fourth game. There are a few reasons not to hold your breath, though: for one, Mikami said earlier this year that the popularity of Monster Hunter doesn't leave a lot of room for another Dino Crisis entry. Plus, Capcom recently tried its hand at another dinosaur-focused game, Exoprimal, a multiplayer title that stopped adding new content just a year after its launch.
Still, hope for a revival in anime form isn't completely extinct just yet — even if it's a little thin. While clarifying that he's currently committed to a "very long-term plan" for Devil May Cry, Shankar added, "But yes, one day perhaps I usually use my powers to resurrect Dino Crisis."
Devil May Cry, at least, is still set for an April 2025 release date. For more, check out my profile of Shankar last year, where we talked his Captain Laserhawk for Ubisoft and Netflix and much more.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.