I remember the first time I played Devil May Cry. It was 2001, I was a bored teenager with way too much Mountain Dew in my system, and Capcom had just dropped a game that felt like a fever dream: gothic horror, balletic violence, and a protagonist who oozed so much style it should have been illegal. Resident Evil this was not-though the DNA was all there, mutated into something wild and completely original. Fast-forward to 2024, remakes are everywhere and Capcom’s legendary director Hideki Kamiya just weighed in on a possible Devil May Cry remake. His answer? Well, let’s just say it’s complicated-and honestly, I think he’s got a point.
Before you grab your pitchforks, hear me out: I love a good remake. Resident Evil 2’s reimagining was a revelation, and the Dead Space Remake actually made me sleep with the lights on. There’s no denying that some old games genuinely benefit from a fresh coat of paint and modern design sensibilities. But when it comes to Devil May Cry, I agree with Kamiya’s instinct to leave well enough alone, at least for now.
For those who missed the news, Hideki Kamiya—the creative godfather behind Resident Evil 2, Viewtiful Joe, and, of course, Devil May Cry—recently addressed fan questions about a DMC remake on his YouTube channel. “A remake like that? Well, I would like to do that,” he said, before explaining that he hasn’t revisited the original game in years and isn’t exactly burning with desire to remake it. The man even admitted that DMC reminds him of personal heartbreak from 2000. (Relatable, but still, ouch.) More importantly, he questioned whether he’d even want to update the game’s 24-year-old design with modern tech and expectations. In a world obsessed with nostalgia, that candor is… kind of refreshing.
Let’s get one thing straight: Devil May Cry was a glorious accident. Born from the ashes of a scrapped Resident Evil 4 prototype, it mashed together fixed camera angles, baroque architecture, and white-knuckle hack-and-slash combat. You felt every swing of Dante’s sword and every taunt—a dance macabre between B-movie horror and arcade precision. It was weird, it was tough, and it was, above all, distinct. If Capcom were to remake it now, would they really capture that same unhinged energy? I’m skeptical.
Look at what’s happened to other classic franchises. Sure, Resident Evil 2’s remake got it right, but its original was shackled by tank controls and blurry backgrounds. The remake modernized its scares while maintaining the soul. But with Devil May Cry, the original’s DNA is embedded in its jank, its PS2-era ambition, and its rebellious spirit. Strip away the rough edges and you risk losing the magic.
Let’s not forget: Capcom has been on a remastering rampage. We’ve had Resident Evil remakes, Onimusha revivals, and even the return of MGS 3 from Konami. Some are fantastic, but others start to blend together—polished, beautiful, but lacking that sense of danger and weirdness that made the originals legendary. If every classic game gets remade to fit current design trends, we’ll wake up in a world of safe, focus-tested, nostalgia-flavored gruel. Kamiya’s reluctance is a warning we should take seriously.
There’s also something a bit tragic about the gold rush for remakes. New ideas get sidelined as publishers chase after guaranteed hits. Kamiya himself is busy with new projects—like a sequel to Okami—and personally, I’d rather see what strange new vision he brings to gaming than watch him redo something he nailed over two decades ago. The industry needs creators willing to be bold and a little reckless, not ones endlessly rehashing past glories.
Now, I’m not blind to the counterarguments. Plenty of fans have never played the original DMC, and let’s be real: wrangling a PS2 or even a digital version can be a pain. Accessibility matters. There’s also the “what if…” factor: What if Capcom could combine DMC5’s spectacular visuals with the castle intrigue and tight level design of the first game? That’s tempting. But the beauty of emulation, remasters, and even upscaled ports is that you can let new audiences experience the original, warts and all, without erasing its idiosyncrasies. Not everything needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.
If Capcom ever does greenlight a remake, my hope is that they treat DMC with the same irreverence and creative spark that Kamiya injected into the original. Don’t sand the corners off. Don’t make it “safe.” And don’t let nostalgia dictate every creative choice. The best remakes are those that understand not just what made a game work, but what made it weird. If Kamiya isn’t clawing at the door to remake DMC, maybe that’s because he knows some great things are better left untouched—or at least, untamed.
So here’s my take: Kamiya’s open-ended, even slightly melancholic response is the kind of honesty this industry needs. Remakes have their place, but so do originals—blemishes and all. If the gaming world wants to keep moving forward, we need to respect the past without being completely shackled to it. Sometimes, a little reluctance to revisit old territory is exactly what keeps that territory sacred.
I get the hunger for a DMC remake. We all love a nostalgia trip, especially when anniversaries roll around and the itch to revisit our youth hits. But let’s think bigger. Capcom and Kamiya are at their best when they’re not just polishing up classics, but inventing the next big thing. Let’s keep the past alive—just not embalmed in 4K gloss.
What do you think? Should Devil May Cry get a full modern remake, or is Kamiya right to let sleeping devils lie? Have recent remakes made you more or less excited for gaming’s future? Drop your thoughts, rants, and wildest DMC memories in the comments. I’ll be reading—and probably arguing with at least half of you.
TL;DR: Hideki Kamiya’s hesitation to remake Devil May Cry is a much-needed reality check for an industry obsessed with nostalgia. Some classics earn their place in history by staying just as they are—rough, wild, and gloriously weird.