How could I not have an entire page dedicated to what is undeniably my favourite action game series? Devil May Cry became one of my fixations after having my interest in the series piqued for several years. Playing the entire series in full with my fiancé not only met the expectations I had with the series but it also often surprised me and went in directions I didn't expect. Most importantly, the games are very fun to play, and combined with the infinite replayability and addictive bloody palace mode, there's literally no end to the fun in sight.
I have over a hundred hours combined across the mainline games (DmC doesn't exist). This interest has also spanned into listening to music from the series heavily on repeat, practically every day since I first heard them, lmao. Also watching the two shows they made although the quality of the shows is... different, to say the least. I'm probably never going to go over my thoughts on the shows here because I don't think they're even worth going into at this point. This of course left me dying to have more as soon as we finished the games, and my fixation has developed into full blown theorycrafting for when the next release may come (it's real... it's happening... trust the plan). You can dive into my thesis about this below.
What am I doing now?
I'm currently replaying the series in chronological order of events, starting with DMC3. This playthrough is with an amazing ReShade preset and high definition textures. Originally, we were playing it with a co-op mod installed too, but unfortunately it's very janky and buggy, resulting in constant crashes and other frustrations.
As the story went, I had been interested in DMC1 for years prior to playing it, and am infatuated with its art style to this day. It captured the gothic aesthetic and feelings more accurately and timelessly than most things that tried to attempt the same thing. The visuals of the first game combined with the fixed camera angles drew me to the series immediately; every location, character, and enemy design was visually striking and left a very strong impression on me.
DMC2 was undeniably the lowest point of the mainline games. I had known that people didn't really like it prior to playing it myself, but nothing could have prepared me for how bad it was. To be fair: the game had a troubled development, and my fiancé and I did actually finish it all the way through. We really tried to give it the benefit of the doubt and unlike the reboot, and I did say this wholeheartedly: at least DMC2 was bearable. Somewhat. Ignoring DMC2, I was very impressed with the rest of the series.
DMC3 had so much style and fervor that it could have turned anybody into a fan of the series, and this only grew exponentially with the later titles. This was sorely needed after DMC2, and revitalised the series as well as my expectations going forward. I loved the lore additions in DMC3 and characters getting fleshed out, it really made me care about the story rather than just the gameplay and visuals, although I did admit I was hooked on what very little story there was in DMC1 too. This title definitely set the tone for the rest of the series.
DMC4 started strongly and progressed the story very well, introducing new characters and plot elements to invest in while also evolving the gameplay even further. The game also did a lot to separate itself aesthetically from the prior games, in a way that felt fresh to me but simultaneously true to the gothic nature of the series. Nero was a most welcome addition, and seeing as he played differently from Dante, it just kept the gameplay new and exciting.
DMC5 is a game I have thought about more times than I can count ♡ From that point on, it was history. Anything I loved about the series prior to playing this entry was now perfected to an art form. I could gush all day about the things I love about this game and how all-encompassing it is. It kept me impressed and engaged for literally every second that I played it. The story is by far the best presented and most dramatic they have told. Playing as V is probably the most unique experience one may have in an action game of this caliber. The other characters I had known and loved felt truly at their best here, both in gameplay and presentation. The music is perfection. I was literally bouncing off the walls the first time I watched the opening to this game, and this captured how I would feel for the remainder of the playthrough. This game kept me so enthralled from beginning to end and that's not something I can say for many games (I am brain damaged from playing so much WoW after all).
You can find my full-length reviews for every game in the series on my Steam:
Devil May Cry is a fast-paced action game series focused on stylish combat, reflex-based gameplay, and spectacular presentation. These days, you can play the entire series on your computer through Steam or any modern console. There is the HD Collection, which contains DMC1, DMC2 (skip this) and DMC3; DMC4 and DMC5 respectively can be bought individually, and also have DLC/deluxe editions. You can also play the piece of shit DmC: Devil May Cry reboot game that literally nobody likes, though I suggest you don't.
You play mainly as Dante, probably one of the most charismatic and loveable video game protagonists. He uses various swords, guns, demonic abilities and other crazy "weapons" to chain together flashy combos and fight hordes of demons and bosses. These games are known for fluid and precise controls, high skill ceilings, and a ranking system that rewards style and efficiency.
The tone mixes gothic horror with a lighthearted punk attitude, lots of dark castles, twisted demons, and industrial/metal soundtracks. Visually, it’s sleek and dramatic, with exaggerated animations, cinematic camera work in the form of fixed angles in the early games and dynamic angles in the later games, as well as a heavy emphasis on character flair. The series doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s sharp and confident in its identity.
I won't divulge too much into the story or lore of the games, but just know that the series has become quite fleshed out in that department since DMC3; you'll come for the gameplay, but stay for the characters and story.
DMC3 modded playthrough:
I am not artistically inclined myself, but I thought this would be a good place to showcase fanart I like from more talented people.
Everything in this section is my own hypothesizing. I am not claiming speculations as fact, nor would I ever want to get anyone in trouble by doing so. To put it simply: the facts are real, the speculations are only as real as you want them to be. Please do not send a pack of dogs after me, Capcom.
I tried to organise my thoughts to the best of my ability, and explain the more niche terminology.
Prologue
⚀ I. A Brief History
of
CAPCOM
Releases
Capcom has always had various ways of ramping up hype for their IP before releasing a new game. For example, in March 2018, an update was released for Monster Hunter: World with a cross-promotional outfit pack for Devil May Cry. DMC5 was revealed at E3 in June 2018. This promotion predated the reveal for DMC5 by only three months.
Resident Evil is no stranger to this, being one of the most well known Capcom IPs and previously their most profitable. Every remake and new iteration of Resident Evil for the past several years has had some kind of cross-promotion in other media carefully sandwiched in between releases. Even for their less widely-known IPs, such as Dragon's Dogma or Onimusha, they have also received an unusual amount of additional attention prior to new entries in those series being revealed. Capcom is also no stranger to promoting their IPs in other games, such as Fortnite, and has done so on many occasions with clear intent.
I will cover all of this later on again in wider detail, for the sake of explaining why DMC is currently undergoing the same treatment.
⚁ II. Previous VA (Voice Actor) Behaviour prior to a reveal
During what was an innocuous DMC fan convention in 2015, Dan Southworth, Vergil's VA outright leaked the existence of DMC5 at a point where there was no existing knowledge that this game was happening. This also predated the very first leak of DMC5 by two whole years. At the time that this happened, his co-stars played coy and Reuben Langdon (Dante's VA) quickly stepped in and denied the claim, and from this point on denying the existence of the game until the official reveal. Even to the point of saying things like he "prays to the Capcom gods that DMC is Itsuno's new project" on Twitter in 2017 (despite us knowing know that DMC5 was already in production in 2017!)
Video Transcript:
R.L: ...it really is a tight family-- D.S: No I think it's great, how it happened, because now they're gonna bring us back -- we can say that right? R.L: No. D.S: Well... Perhaps in the future, there is a alternate universe where...
⚂ III. Past Leaks (DMC5)
In 2017, a massive DMC5 leak was posted anonymously on ResetEra. This leak came at least half a year before the game was revealed in 2018. Most of the information in the leak ended up being true, including the release date timeframe, reveal timeframe, development team, characters, story and gameplay, and so on. Typically, Capcom-related leaks have always been quite solid.
⚃ IV. DMC: Before, During, and After Itsuno
Devil May Cry (2001) was directed by one Hideki Kamiya. Originally starting as a Resident Evil game, Kamiya was tasked with evolving the game into its own standalone product, after Capcom was impressed with his initiative in making the gameplay more action-oriented. Kamiya is known for his other actions games too, namely the Bayonetta series. It can't be denied that he laid the groundwork for the entire DMC franchise, in both tone and gameplay. However, this is where Kamiya's story ends for DMC. Yet, the IP went on despite his absence.
Six months before DMC2 was set to release, a man by the name of Hideaki Itsuno was assigned to take over as director of the game. It was up to him and some of his close friends in the team to attempt to salvage the game and get it ready for release. Itsuno went on to be the director of DMC3, DMC4, and DMC5. In September 2024, Itsuno abruptly left Capcom, and his position as DMC director along with it.
In spite of how much Capcom clearly valued him as a director, every team is a sum of its parts, and a majority of Itsuno's team remains at Capcom, including the Lead Designer of DMC5, Yoichiro Ikeda. In Japan, these kinds of situations typically lead to the person with the most seniority and experience taking over; therefore, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Ikeda in an even more important role. The talent that made these games are a reality has always been evolving and ever-present. Itsuno may be gone, but DMC is not dead.
⚄ V. Reuben Langdon Is Not Cancelled
I wanted to touch on this briefly, though it is a moot point even more now that this DMC5 x PGR collab exists as of April 2025, and Reuben is obviously and rightly Dante in that game. Still, some have claimed in the past that Reuben Langdon, Dante's VA, is cancelled and will not be returning as Dante, for silly reasons which I don't even want to dignify here or bring attention to. The bugs in those peoples brains aside, and the fantasy they have created, have nothing to do with reality. Reuben Langdon has always maintained thas his relationship with Capcom is solid, and the reason he got taken off as the voice of Ken in Street Fighter 6 was that the director of that game was obsessed with bad publicity, and at the time Reuben had a hit piece from a journalist after Reuben had nothing negative to say about Vic Mignogna during his controversey.
The Signs
Trademark Shenanigans
I. Introduction to Video Game Trademarks
Per the existence and release of a new video game, it is standard in the industry to file a trademark patent with international and in-country offices. This is done in just about any country you can think of, including Capcom's home country, Japan. There are different classes of trademarks pertaining to the classification of goods and services in trademark registration. In total, there are 45 classes -- but today, we will mainly be focusing on two of them:
Class 09: Electronics and Software Class 41: Education and Entertainment Services
**Class 28: Mostly irrelevant, but here can refer to peripherals and console related items.
These clases are commonly used for tech, games, media, and educational businesses. When applying for a trademark, one must not only specify which class(es) they are filing for, but specify in detail which subcategory within these classes their product falls under, since the classes are so broad. Class 09 can be related to a slot machine, but it can also be related to a video game software; Class 41 can be a movie or TV show, but it can also be an online game service. It is important to verify these specific details when snooping around video game development, which luckily for us is publically available information, since all of this is included in the trademark application.
There are several trademark lookups online you can use to get you this information. I will mainly be using J-PlatPat, Japan's platform for patent information.
II. Devil May Cry Trademarks
Capcom has obviously filed for many DMC related trademarks. Searching for デビル メイ クライ (Devil May Cry in Japanese) you can find all of Capcom's applications for DMC in Japan. Disregarding any merchandise related patents and similar, the most notable ones are as follows:
Trademark
Class
Filing Date
Ｄｅｖｉｌ Ｍａｙ Ｃｒｙ＼デビルメイクライ
09
08 Nov. 2000
ＤＭＣ ＤＥＶＩＬ ＭＡＹ ＣＲＹ＼ ディーエムシーデビルメイクライ
09
10 Sep. 2010
Ｄｅｖｉｌ Ｍａｙ Ｃｒｙ＼デビルメイクライ
28 41
19 Nov. 2013
Ｄｅｖｉｌ Ｍａｙ Ｃｒｙ： Ｐｅａｋ ｏｆ Ｃｏｍｂａｔ
09 41
15 Mar. 2022
ＤＥＶＩＬ ＭＡＹ ＣＲＹ
09 41
24 Oct. 2024
The first trademark in the table was created for the first DMC game and was used through to DMC4. Typically, new trademarks are not registered for a sequel unless under very specific circumstances:
Attaching new rights and protections to a future product while leveraging brand continuity
The inclusion of animation, online videos, VOD, and film production hints at cross-media plans
Filing updated or duplicate trademarks shortly before announcing a new project — especially if it will use the same series name and the previous trademark was under a different name or subtitle -- Capcom did the same thing with Resident Evil and Monster Hunter, re-filing the same names with updated services right before new entries
In this case, Ｄｅｖｉｌ Ｍａｙ Ｃｒｙ was used for DMC1 - DMC4. Then, they filed for ＤＭＣ ＤＥＶＩＬ ＭＡＹ ＣＲＹ. Being a reboot with a unique title, they of course filed a new trademark. Not too long after DmC: DMC, they filed again under Ｄｅｖｉｌ Ｍａｙ Ｃｒｙ in 2013, and attached the necessary classes. Class 28 here could be referring to this limited time XBOX One console and controller bundle, or whatever else they may have been planning under this category. We know now that Class 41 was used for the online functionality of DMC5.
DMC5 was the last installment in the series before Ｄｅｖｉｌ Ｍａｙ Ｃｒｙ： Ｐｅａｋ ｏｆ Ｃｏｍｂａｔ, a mobile game released in 2024. This was filed under 09 and 41, albeit the details under the application information are different than the other patents. Namely, the first detail is: game program for hand-held games, referring to mobile games.
Between DMC: Peak of Combat and late 2024, it was radio silence in terms of new trademark filings. If there were to be a new game, we can safely assume that the pattern would continue and Capcom would file a new patent, since this new game would have a different name to DMC: Peak of Combat. And then it happened...
Observe this recent October 2024 filing for Class 09 (software) and Class 41 (game services). It is crucial to note that these are core classifications for new digital game content. In other words, this trademark is for a new DMC computer game!!!
If we look at the "Application Information" tab of the trademark inquiry, we are met with something called "Article on class of goods". As stated before, the applicant must specify in detail what exactly they are trademarking for that falls under each respective class, and this is where they do that.
In this case, there is an undeniable game program, game software in Class 09, and offer of an online game in Class 41. Note that the first few sentences of each class are the most important here, and then everything else is typically just catch-all patenting and future-proofing.
The October 2024 DMC is the first such core classification (Class 09) filing for DMC since 2013 that is not tied to a mobile game. All 2023 trademarks were for merchandise. This 2024 application is functionally different and typically aligned with new mainline entries and platform reboots.
It is also highly worth mentioning that on 9 Jan. 2025, Capcom filed an international registration via the Madrid Protocol, based on the original Japan filing date of 24 Oct. 2024. You don’t go through the effort and cost of a Madrid Protocol extension unless you’re planning a major global rollout.
III. Cross-referencing with other Capcom trademarks that may indicate a reveal
Capcom has a historical pattern of trademark filings preceding game announcements.
ＤＲＡＧＯＮ’Ｓ ＤＯＧＭＡ ＯＮＬＩＮＥ trademark was filed in Dec. 2014 and released in 2015. They recently filed for a new trademark under ＤＲＡＧＯＮ’Ｓ ＤＯＧＭＡ, which follows the pattern of filing for a new trademark after the previous one had a unique subtitle.
Resident Evil: Village (ＢＩＯＨＡＺＡＲＤ ＶＩＬＬＡＧＥ in Japan) was filed in Oct. 2020 and released in May 2021.
ＭＯＮＳＴＥＲ ＨＵＮＴＥＲ ＷＩＬＤＳ was filed in Jan. 2024 and released in Feb. 2025.
Ｏｎｉｍｕｓｈａ：Ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ Ｓｗｏｒｄ was filed in Jan. 2025 and was revealed at The Game Awards 2024 (note that this trademark was filed AFTER the announcement, long after production had started).
Comparing other
CAPCOM
IPs leading up to a reveal
As it stands, Capcom seems to have a certain pattern in the lead up of revealing a new game. They love to collaborate and cross-promote to other mediums and popular video games. Even before they started doing this in particular, they would mention games in surveys or release a remaster of a game in anticipation of a new title. In more recent years, they have taken a more consistent approach in marketing their IPs.
Finally, to circle back around to the behaviour of VAs before the imminent reveal of a new title, here are some things that Reuben Langdon (Dante), Dan Southworth (Vergil) and Johnny Yong Bosch (Nero) have said recently.
August 2024: Dan Southworth says he did work on a game recently where he was asked to do the Young Vergil voice... this was preceeded by him saying he won't spill the beans on any specific game title, rofl.
February 2025: JYB says he specifically wants DMC6.
February 2025: Reuben Langdon says the party is just getting started.
February 2025: Dan Sourthworth says he won't leak DMC6.
April 2025:
Reuben Langdon slip of the tongue, says DMC6.
thank you for making it this far
hope you enjoyed reading! XOXO
How could I not have an entire page dedicated to what is undeniably my favourite action game series? Devil May Cry became one of my fixations after having my interest in the series piqued for several years. Playing the entire series in full with my fiancé not only met the expectations I had with the series but it also often surprised me and went in directions I didn't expect. Most importantly, the games are very fun to play, and combined with the infinite replayability and addictive bloody palace mode, there's literally no end to the fun in sight.
What am I doing now?
