Today’s Summer Game Fest finally gave fans the reveal trailer for Resident Evil 9. It’s officially called Resident Evil: Requiem and appears to star a new character in the long-running series. However, this character isn’t unconnected like Ethan Winters seemingly was in Resident Evil 7. Instead, Resident Evil: Requiem‘s Grace Ashcroft appears to be a deep-cut reference from Capcom that most fans might’ve forgotten about.
Hardcore fans’ ears might’ve perked up when they heard the Ashcroft name. That’s because this isn’t the first time we’ve heard that name in the Resident Evil universe.
In 2004, Capcom released an online multiplayer survival horror game called Resident Evil Outbreak. It was the first game in the series to feature co-op and online support, though some European markets were unable to connect online. Outbreak features eight playable characters, one of whom is Alyssa Ashcroft.
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Now, here’s where things get interesting. Alyssa is canonically alive as recently as Resident Evil 7. We know this because you can read a newspaper article written by her that’s dated January 19th, 2016. In the new trailer for Resident Evil: Requiem, Grace’s commander mentions that “Alyssa died eight years ago.” He also says, “I know that’s where your mother was murdered,” referring to the hotel he’s sending Grace to investigate.
That hints that Alyssa is Grace’s mom, though it could be a different relationship, and Capcom is trying to trick us with the trailer. Either way, the trailer confirms that Grace is, in some way, related to Alyssa. The question becomes if we’ll actually see Alyssa in Resident Evil: Requiem.
The trailer hints at flashbacks to a traumatic event in Grace’s past. We also know that leaks have heavily suggested that Requiem will star Leon Kennedy. Finally, the trailer shows a bombed-out version of Raccoon City. Putting that all together, it seems possible that we will play as Grace both before and after the bombing of the famous city.
If that’s the case, Alyssa might show up in a scene or two. Will she be joined by some of the other characters from Outbreak? It’d be great to see Kevin, David, Yoko, and the gang back in action, though it wouldn’t make a ton of sense if they all survived.
Either way, Resident Evil: Requiem is already playing with fans’ minds well ahead of release. All we have is a four-minute teaser trailer, and Capcom is immediately deep into the weeds. It’ll be a blast to see how this all plays out. Will we see any more fan-favorite characters? We certainly hope Jill Valentine finally gets her deserved place back in the spotlight, but for now, we’ll have to wait for further details from Capcom.
Fortunately, we might not have to wait much longer. The developer confirmed at Summer Game Fest that Resident Evil: Requiem will be playable at Gamescom in August. They also announced the official release date. We’ll all be able to dive into Requiem on February 27th, 2026. It’s going to be a long wait, but at least you’ll have enough time to track down a copy of Outbreak to meet Alyssa before she makes her big comeback.
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