Resident Evil Requiem was officially revealed at Summer Game Fest a few weeks ago, and the game looks quite a bit different from what rumors had suggested. Prior to Capcom’s announcement, several rumors had been circulating online, suggesting things like an open-world setting, and even some kind of online multiplayer focus. When rumors like this don’t pan out, many fans assume that they were made up, or incorrect. However, it seems both of these elements were in consideration at Capcom, before the developers decided to go in a different direction. In a Creator’s Message video, director Koshi Nakanishi elaborated on why these ideas were scrapped.
“You might have heard some of the rumors. Things like an online Resident Evil, or an open-world Resident Evil, which we spent some time experimenting with. But in the end, although we had some interesting concepts, we realized it wasn’t what fans wanted to see or play. So we went back to the drawing board and created what led to Resident Evil Requiem,” said Nakanishi.
For Resident Evil fans, this change of direction will likely come as something of a relief. These concepts might have worked for a Resident Evil spin-off, but probably wouldn’t have delivered the kind of experience fans have come to expect from the series. Resident Evil fans have been open to some major changes, like the first-person focus in the last two games. However, those changes were made in service to the horror concept, and the results were largely embraced by players. By contrast, an open-world or online multiplayer elements could have detracted from the horror experience.
The comments from Nakanishi are a testament to how much can change during a video game’s development cycle. Sometimes when leaks don’t pan out, it’s not that they were fake (though that certainly does happen), but instead because leakers are working on information that proves to be outdated. In the case of Resident Evil Requiem, that wasn’t just the open-world setting or the online multiplayer elements; the developers had also considered Leon as a protagonist, but ended up going with Grace Ashcroft in the lead instead.
Resident Evil Requiem is set to be released on February 27, 2026, so fans won’t have to wait too much longer to see how these decisions might have benefitted the overall game. The last original game in the series was 2021’s Resident Evil Village, and fans have been eagerly anticipating the next mainline entry. It remains to be seen whether Resident Evil Requiem will deliver a truly great experience, but reception has been pretty positive since the game was officially announced. Capcom still seems to be keeping a lot of secrets, but with the game set to be released early next year, we can likely expect to see more details and information over the coming months.
Are you happy that Capcom went in a different direction? Do you think an open-world Resident Evil would have worked? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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