How bad are Resident Evil 7 sales on iOS? Worse than you think

From introducing Game Mode on macOS Sonoma and iOS 18 to highlighting its chipsets’ gaming capabilities during keynotes — Apple has been trying too hard to make serious gaming on its platforms a thing. While its latest devices may indeed be capable of running AAA games reliably, serious gamers are seemingly uninterested in doing so. A recent sale estimate reveals that under 2,000 iOS users have purchased Resident Evil 7 from the App Store.

Resident Evil 7 launched on iOS as an exclusive mobile port two weeks ago. The game runs on the latest iPhone 15 Pro models, in addition to M-powered iPads and Macs. While anyone can download it from the App Store for free, a one-time, $20 in-app purchase (IAP) is required to unlock the base game.

According to Mobilegamer.biz, an Appmagic estimate suggests that over 83,000 iPhone users have already downloaded Resident Evil 7 from the App Store. However, the data also indicates that no more than 2,000 of said users have actually bought the IAP to play the full game.

Given Capcom’s popularity and reputation, these numbers are pretty poor — to say the least. For reference, Resident Evil 7 is the second best-selling title in the franchise with over 13.3 million copies sold since its 2017 debut.

Some may argue that the iOS port has flopped due to its iPhone 15 Pro exclusivity. However, the game’s listing is shared across the iPad and Mac App Stores, too. This reflects that most serious players may not see Apple’s App Store as a valid AAA game market. And since the game is priced similarly on consoles, it makes very little sense to pay a premium for an inferior gaming experience on tiny screens. Maybe mobile games and AAA titles should each stick to their traditional platforms.