The survival horror market is too small for Resident Evil, Capcom has admitted.

That's why the series has, and will continue, to branch out into more action-oriented areas, Resident Evil producer Masachika Kawata told Gamasutra.

"Especially for the North American market, I think the series needs to head in that [action-oriented] direction," Kawata said. "[Resident Evil's primary games] need to be an extension of the changes made in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5.

"RE4 started in that direction, and RE5 kept going in that direction. And I think that especially for the North American market, we need to keep going in that direction, and take that a step further. And that's exactly one of the reasons that [3DS game] Revelations is the way it is."

Resident Evil's evolution from tense, survival horror thriller into over-the-top third-person action territory began with the release of Resident Evil 4 in 2005. Resident Evil 5, released in 2009, went one step further.

Now, series fans are faced with multiple Resident Evil games, including third-person shooter Operation Raccoon City, the first Resident Evil to be developed outside Japan.

Why the change? Kawata said sales of survival horror games can't compete with those of the industry's big-hitters, such as Call of Duty.

"Looking at the marketing data [for survival horror games]... the market is small, compared to the number of units Call of Duty and all those action games sell," he said. "A survival horror Resident Evil doesn't seem like it'd be able to sell those kind of numbers."

What does this mean for Resident Evil 6, due out later this year? Will it be the most action-oriented game in the series so far?

"I can't really speak for Resident Evil 6, but I don't think that it necessarily has to go all the way in that [action-heavy] direction, the Call of Duty direction," Kawata said. "It doesn't have to be a straight up shooter. But my impression is that Resident Evil 4 and 5 aren't shooters, per se."

Despite the need to sell more units, and thus the need to move away from survival horror, Kawata said there are opportunities for Capcom to satisfy fans who still hunger for the franchise's old school gameplay.

"So we have our numbered series, and we can say we have a more adventure-oriented version, like a Revelations-style game. And we also have Operation: Raccoon City, which is a third-person shooter.

"So I think that by extending the market in this sense, we can still have the numbered titles keep their identity about what Resident Evil is supposed to be, but still expand and hit other markets as well."

Either way, according to Kawata, a good game is a good game, and should sell off the back of its quality. "If you're going to be selling a game based on its good gameplay, then you don't have to worry about the market in which it will be sold," he said. Here, targeted marketing takes over.

"If we're going to make games that sell based on quality content, they should be able to appeal around the world. That might be obvious, but that's why Grand Theft Auto IV, Skyrim and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare also sell in Japan, because their gameplay is interesting."

Resident Evil: Revelations should have been a numbered release to promote the fact it is a "full-on" Resident Evil game and not another spin-off, its producer has admitted.

In other words, Resident Evil: Revelations would have been Resident Evil 6. It would also have had that logo.

"Maybe I shouldn't say this, but looking at the finished game makes me think why we didn't slap a number on the title," Revelations producer Masachika Kawata said in a new Iwata Asks interview.

"It's a true-as-can-be Resident Evil game from head to toe, so please enjoy it."

While praising Resident Evil 4, Kawata explained that the Revelations team wished to "remove any dissatisfaction from before".

The series' last numbered release, Resident Evil 5, received a lukewarm reaction from fans and critics alike.

"The first thing I thought was I wanted to make a full-on Resident Evil game rather than just port the series into a handheld system and set that as my goal," Kawata added.

"Another thing was that, whereas Resident Evil 4 had changed the model for the series of the numbering titles from there on out, I wanted to get back to the origins of the series by returning the direction to its horror roots. We created a team that could create a truly frightening Resident Evil."

Resident Evil 6 - or some of it at least - takes place in China, judging by the CV of a voice actor claiming to have worked on the as-yet-unannounced sequel.

As spotted by The Silent Chief, voice actor Wendy Mok's EWP profile states that she plays a "Chinese villager/zombie" in the game.

Capcom has yet to officially confirm Resident Evil 6 is on the way. Spin-off console shooter Operation Raccoon City and 3DS outing Resident Evil: Revelations are both due out early next year.

Capcom's survival horror series is no stranger to globe-trotting - 2009's Resident Evil 5 took place in Africa, where as Resident Evil 4 was set in an undefined European locale.