Resident Evil 5 ships 4 million

Capcom touts initial deployment of survival horror shooter as franchise's biggest launch ever; demo downloads also stand at 4 million.

Capcom apparently has it in for the human race. The publisher said today that it has flooded retailers with 4 million units of its latest zombified survival horror shooter Resident Evil 5 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Capcom also said that the RE5 demo has been downloaded more than 4 million times through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

As noted by Capcom, RE5's initial shipment figure marks the largest launch for any Resident Evil game since the franchise debuted in March 1996. To date, the franchise has now shipped more than 40 million units since the initial installment arrived 13 years ago.

Capcom also provided a brief update on Resident Evil happenings beyond the gaming sphere, saying that the three Resident Evil films combined have reached total sales in excess of $300 million. The CG film Resident Evil: Degeneration has now shipped more than 1.5 million copies, according to the publisher.

Capcom's latest survival horror action adventure sees original RE protagonist Chris Redfield and companion Sheva Alomar confront the heart of undead darkness in African shantytowns. Gamers can go it alone in the over-the-shoulder third-person shooter or team up with a friend to have one player control Chris while the other handles Sheva. A Versus mode can also be purchased through XBL and the PSN for $5.