With all of the recent game announcements tied to next-generation consoles, some having fun speculating about what major franchise might be returning next. One action-adventure game in particular is getting some surprising attention. Onimusha is a Capcom-made series rich with Japanese lore and history, combining action combat with supernatural horror elements. But if one reliable leaker is to be believed, Onimusha fans would be better off not getting their expectations up.
The reason why Onimusha is being brought up at all as a possibility for a next-gen game announcement is due to Capcom's remaster of the franchise's first game. Onimusha: Warlords HD Remaster was put out in January 2019 on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. In other words, Capcom clearly put some effort into porting the game to new platforms. But that HD remaster is also apparently the reason why Capcom is putting Onimusha back on the shelf.
According to historically reliable leaker Dusk Golem, well known for their Resident Evil-related leaks, a new Onimusha isn't in the works. Capcom was considering the possibility at one point, which is why the Onimusha: Warlords HD Remaster was put together. Dusk Golem says the remaster project even had a "decent budget" for what it was. However, sales were apparently horrible.
Dusk Golem describes sales of the Onimusha: Warlords HD Remaster as "way under even [Capcom's] modest expectations." And given those disappointing results, Capcom presumably doesn't have any plans for the Onimusha franchise going forward. To be fair, with franchises like Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and Devil May Cry booming, there's little reason for Capcom to want to be risky, at least in the foreseeable future.
Onimusha was at one point in time a major Capcom franchise and was one of the company's fastest-growing. It currently has the eighth-most sales in Capcom's library of franchises, below Marvel vs. Capcom and above Ace Attorney. Capcom currently doesn't have any major releases announced in any of the franchises below Onimusha, though Dragon's Dogma is getting a Netflix anime. And many of those above it aren't getting much attention, either.
There may be a future for Onimusha yet at Capcom, but it very likely is going to take a lot of effort and it very likely isn't going to start with a major game being announced. Perhaps Capcom will do an anime like with Dragon's Dogma or perhaps a smaller project to try and rebuild brand recognition. Whatever Capcom's plans, Onimusha fans are best encouraged to put all hope on ice for the time being.