Dead Rising's Long-Awaited Return Has Fans Seriously Pumped

Undoubtedly more of a cult franchise than, say, Resident Evil, Dead Rising has an incredible yet arguably niche legacy. As is, it’s a testament to how beloved Capcom’s Dead Rising franchise is that its main protagonist, photojournalist Frank West, is as iconic as he is, despite having a fairly unremarkable appearance (and name).

It’d be odd now if Frank appeared in a new game wearing something else, as there’s little else to immediately visually identify him by other than his widow’s peak, a black jacket, and a white, collared button-down, aside from a professional camera slung over his shoulder. That’s why, with Frank West’s newest Capcom appearance being even a little bit unrecognizable to the unfamiliar eye, fans think a new Dead Rising game could be on the way.

A humble Tsum Tsum bean is causing quite a stir on Reddit, as it may or may not merely be a Tsum Tsum bean. Indeed, this Frank West plushie was released as part of Capcom’s 20th anniversary Dead Rising merchandise, and fans of the franchise have been quick to hope that it’s commemorating and teasing a brand-new game or remake arriving in the near future.

This plushie may not be immediately recognizable as Frank, however, due to him wearing what appears to be a blue suit, instead of his iconic black jacket, and sporting what fans think looks like a slightly different hairstyle. Because it doesn’t look identical to how Frank looks in the games, fans’ go-to assumption is that a new Dead Rising game is in development, with a potential new Frank design being what the design of this plushie is more or less trying to represent.

Not everyone is convinced, as user ResistanceEvermore writes that the plushie “doesn’t really look all that different than his design in DR1 but with a stylized haircut.”

Whether or not this plushie is a tease, fans seem to agree about what they’d like to see from the franchise. For instance, users like 1440pReborn, Game_Changer65, and DevilCouldCry think it’ll be, or want it to be, a remake of Dead Rising 2 (or comparable Deluxe Remaster).

Fans do admit that they may be overthinking what could simply be an adorable 20th anniversary plushie, but it’s fun to deliberate about what Capcom may have in store for Dead Rising (other than this Tsum Tsum bean) nonetheless. Besides, with the knowledge that multiple unannounced Capcom games are apparently being released by March 2027, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for one of those to be a Dead Rising game, as pointed out by user Shut_Up_Nerd_Vaughn.