Capcom's brilliant Resident Evil 4 Remake is celebrating its third anniversary, but there's one person who won't be celebrating: the game's infamous merchant, who players have left more than 3 trillion in debt.
In an official post on social media to mark the game's third birthday, developer Capcom revealed some official stats for all transactions made by the merchant across every copy of the game to date.
Over the past three years, the merchant has sold 39,914,290,699,099 ptas worth of gear (ptas here referencing the old Spanish currency of pesetas). That's a lot of bought gear (over 39 trillion's worth!) and yet… the merchant is still in the red.
Since launch, players have simultaneously also sold 43,251,570,618,389 ptas worth of stuff to the merchant (over 43 trillion!). That's a lot of elegant crowns, masks and butterfly lamps. Tally those two figures together and it's good news for players, but bad news for the merchant: who is now 3.34 trillion in arrears.
Just as in the original Resident Evil 4, the remake allows you to flog all sorts of treasures and trinkets to the merchant in exchange for weapon upgrades and rocket launchers that can one-hit KO most bosses. These cost 160,000 ptas per one-use launcher, making them something you need to save up for.
Resident Evil 4's merchant remains one of the game's best-loved features, with his mysterious backstory and gravelly catchphrases a core memory of the game for many players. "What're you buying, stranger?" you can imagine him saying now, as he attempts to lessen his debt. "Not enough cash, stranger?" should perhaps be your response.
Sadly, in the newly-released Resident Evil Requiem, a similar system of buying and selling items while playing as Leon is now handled by a computer. That's progress for you.
IGN rated Capcom's Resident Evil 4 Remake with a rare 10/10 upon its launch back in 2023, stating: "Whether you're a fan of the original or a newcomer with a hankering for some action-heavy horror of the highest quality, Resident Evil 4 is like a parasite-riddled Spaniard: a total no-brainer."
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
