Capcom
made their official announcement yesterday that Resident Evil 6, the next sequel in their flagship survival horror series, is in development and will release on November 20, 2012. But while the promise of a new chapter in the RE saga is exciting (and the debut trailer amazing), there may be an unintended casualty from this news: Capcom’s upcoming console game Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City — made by Canadian developer Slant Six Games — could be a victim of the Osborne Effect.
The Osborne
Effect is a term that refers to the unintended consequences of pre-announcing a future product when there’s already something similar for sale. Naturally, consumers prefer the new/better thing and not an inferior product. In fact, the Osborne Effect is the sole reason technology companies like Apple wait a year before announcing a revision for an existing device. Think about it; if someone told you to choose between a new iPhone now or an even better one that’ll be released in the future, you’ll gladly wait for the better product even if that means waiting a little longer.
