It seems Capcom may have plans for their long-dormant Onimusha franchise. The first Onimusha was pitched as a ninja version of Capcom's own Resident Evil series and featured a swordsman fighting his way through demons in feudal Japan. The game was originally set for release on the original PlayStation, before jumping over to the PS2 mid-development. Onimusha's focus on action and combat set it apart from the survival horror of the Resident Evil games, and it soon became a regular franchise for Capcom.

Onimusha: Dawn Of Dreams from 2006 is the last game to date, and there's been little sign of Capcom resurrecting the franchise ever since. There was also plans to turn Onimusha into a movie, with Silent Hill helmer Christophe Gans lined up to direct it. The $70 million project was set to start filming in 2008, but numerous delays led to the cast & crew moving on to other movies, and it soon fell apart.

Alongside Dino Crisis, Onimusha is another classic franchise fans would love to see come back, but in recent years Capcom's focus has been elsewhere. It seems there might be something brewing for the franchise, since Capcom (via VideoGamer) has recently taken out a bunch of trademark filings for the game in different territories, including Europe, Canada, and Mexico.

Capcom has yet to officially announce anything, but the filings have gotten fans excited. In all likelihood, the filings indicate the developer is working on a remastered collection for the series. A HD remaster of the first three Devil May Cry games was recently released, and HD remasters of past titles like the 2002 Resident Evil remake did solid business. Capcom is well aware that a lot of fans still love Onimusha, so a shiny update is a low-risk investment.

It could also mean a new Onimusha game is in development, but fans shouldn't get their hopes up at this stage. That said, it would be great to see a new game in the series using modern technology, and the recent God Of War game - which is a franchise that began around the same era as Onimusha - showed a familiar series can get a glorious rebirth.

Capcom is currently drunk off the success of Monster Hunter World, which was recently crowned their best-selling game ever. The Resident Evil and Street Fighter games also continue to be robust financial performers, so perhaps the developer wants to see how much excitement the thought of a new Onimusha generates before deciding what to do with series.

More: Monster Hunter World Is Capcom's Best-Selling Game Ever

Source: VideoGamer