Capcom could reveal new IP for next-gen PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X

Capcom's big next-gen slate of games could include a new IP or two to help vitalize the next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X install bases.

Capcom has been beefing up its RE Engine to handle next-gen consoles for a while now, and recently teased some ambitious projects on the new consoles. We don't know exactly what the company is working on, but now we have some hints that new IP are included. According to Capcom USA chief operating officer Rob Dyer, next-gen console launches are a perfect opportunity to launch a new IP.

"This is the best time to introduce a new IP. It's a big deal to bring something to market that is going to be new and different, that not only the publisher can get behind, but the platform can get behind," Dyer said in a recent GamesBeat 2020 Summit.

Now context is important here. Dyer wasn't necessarily talking about Capcom, but about the industry as a whole. New IP and new games are what sells consoles. Sequels are important--like the upcoming Resident Evil 8, the new Viking-themed Assassin's Creed, or next-gen Battlefield 6--but new IPs help fill the gaps with something unique and fresh.

We know Capcom has been working on new games for a while now. The company only released one major game in FY2019, Monster Hunter World's Iceborne expansion, sending clear signals of a next-gen console ramp-up.

Sources say Capcom plans to ship four major AAA games in FY2020, including a new Resident Evil sequel. We also spotted a new trademark filing for something called Pragmata, which could be one of Capcom's new incubated IPs made specifically for next-gen consoles.

Capcom could attach itself to either Sony's or Microsoft's next-gen console game reveals in 2020. We expect these reveals to happen sometime next month or even in June in lieu of E3 2020's cancellation.

Capcom has yet to confirm any news of new next-gen games, but we know they're coming. R&D has spike despite thinned game releases, Capcom has repeatedly talked about next-gen, and reports are flying around everywhere of a next-gen RE8. We should hear more during Capcom's FY2019 earnings results on May 8.