If you recently booted up the mobile versions of Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 7, or Resident Evil Village and found that you can’t play the game without an internet connection, you’re not alone.
Many mobile games require an internet connection, especially gacha games, which check to make sure you’re not cheating, but single-player games rarely require an internet connection. Aside from a few cases discovered by fans online, the latest updates for the iOS versions of Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 7, and Resident Evil Village all require an internet connection when you launch the game. “Due to changes in the launch process, an internet connection is now required to launch this app,” read the update notes for each game.
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This is obviously a completely odd choice, and users on Reddit suggest it could be due to data collection or DRM checks, although this is just speculation and the latter would be odd considering how many single-player games don’t require you to be connected to the internet. Many other users on Reddit have also expressed a desire to request refunds based on this change, but given how many people have reportedly purchased these games, it’s likely that not that many people will.
Back in July, store data estimates from Appmagic (via Mobilegamer.biz) put Resident Evil 7 sales for iOS at around 2,000 copies, which was significantly lower than expected, not higher. This isn’t the only AAA title to have undersold on mobile, so there really doesn’t seem to be much of a market for these kinds of games, especially considering they’re priced just as high as their console counterparts. It doesn’t help that the game is a pain to play if you’re only using a touchscreen, so overall you’re probably better off sticking with a console or PC.
