And now the Steam review-bombing has begun.
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is not coming out on PC, Capcom has said - sparking a raft of review bombs on Steam.
Last night, during Sony’s PlayStation 5 event, Capcom unveiled Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, which includes Vergil as a playable character, as well as the Legendary Dark Knight mode (lots of enemies coming at you at once), Turbo mode (20 per cent gameplay speed increase), and ray-tracing support.
It turns out this Special Edition is for PS5 and Xbox Series X only - and won’t be released for PC.
While Vergil will be sold as a DLC character for all platforms, the other content and features included in the Special Edition will not hit PC.
“Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is specifically being developed and optimised to benefit the system architecture and leap in processing power offered by PS5 and Xbox Series X, so we’re focusing on these platforms,” a Capcom spokesperson told Eurogamer.
“At present, there are no plans to release DMC5SE on PC.”
In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Capcom producer Matt Walker said Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition runs at 120 frames per second (with a compatible display) via the new High Framerate mode.
Walker also said the game loads “crazy fast” on PS5, and it makes use of 3D audio. “Just wait until you get into a situation where you’re surrounded by a bunch of Hellbats,” Walker said, “you’ll be able to pinpoint specifically where they all are in relation to the camera based on their cries.”
The Special Edition also uses the DualSense controller’s new features. For example, when you press L2 to rev up Nero’s exceed, you feel the vibrations of the engine and the pull of the throttle.
Capcom’s decision has already infuriated PC gamers, many of whom point out the PC is perfectly capable of supporting the likes of ray-tracing, increased framerates and reduced loading times, as well as the new modes included in the special edition.
Redditor RdJokr1993, however, found the news unsurprising. “Anyone who knows Capcom’s history with PC knows full well that PC isn’t their priority,” they said. “DmC Definitive Edition was only released on PS4/X1 while PC didn’t receive the update (even though Definitive Edition was a helluva lot more substantial upgrade than the Special Editions of the main games).
“The DMC franchise, in general, has always been second-rate compared to Capcom’s other big moneymaker, Resident Evil. Capcom would maybe spend slightly bigger bucks for RE on PC, but DMC just gets sloppy seconds, sometimes nothing at all. They clearly can’t find a way to charge PC players extra for the next-gen upgrade that consoles are getting, so they don’t find it worth the effort to give them the upgrade.”
Over on Steam, where Devil May Cry 5 enjoys a “very positive” user review rating, exasperated PC players are leaving new, negative reviews to voice their discontent.
“I loved this game, but I found out today, on the day Nvidia dropped the new GPUs, specialised in ray-tracing, that Capcom is only releasing Vergil, and not the SE upgrades on PC,” wrote Steam user FrozenHollowFox. “Save yourself the money, and don’t buy it unless this changes.”
“It is unfair that PC gamers do not have a chance to get these new features and are left with an objectively inferior product,” added Archie.
“I love this game, don’t buy it,” warned SinkingSage. “Unless Capcom stops treating us like dirty second class citizens that don’t get the Special Edition despite overwhelming fan support for the game on PC and two years of free advertising with all our combo videos and mod showcases. I can’t believe I bought all the DLC for this game to then get slapped across for being a good customer.”