While it’s difficult to imagine that a massive franchise like Resident Evil could ever end, Capcom actually appears to have an endgame in mind. In an interview with Yahoo Japan (via IGN), executive producer Jun Takeuchi spoke about the franchise and even confirmed that there are definitive plans for an ending, and that this ending could even come “in the next 10 years.”
While Takeuchi acknowledged the fact that Capcom didn’t have an ending in mind for Resident Evil when it made the first game, these plans only began crystallizing during the development of 2019’s Resident Evil 2 Remake. This led to a “10-year branding concept”, which he described as being one of the more difficult parts of the development process. Interestingly, Takeuchi even alluded to the idea that there might be hints about the potential end of the franchise that can be gleaned from paying attention to the order of the remakes’ releases.
“The series’ story wasn’t planned out from the beginning; it expanded with each new game. When we were planning RE:2 and creating a 10-year branding concept, this was the most challenging aspect. If you play through all of them, I think you’ll realize the meaning behind the order of the remakes.”
“With the release of Requiem this year, I feel like the first 10 years have come to a close, so I think the conclusion will come in the next 10 years.”
Despite having dropped this bombshell, Takeuchi didn’t really offer many other details about the future plans for the franchise. When asked how many more games this plan entails, he said that he “can’t say, because it would spoil the fun for everyone, but there won’t be just one. There will be multiple titles.”
In the meantime, the Resident Evil franchise has become one of Capcom’s most popular ones. The company recently confirmed that the newest entry – Resident Evil Requiem – has managed to sell more than 8.5 million copies since its release earlier this year. This has led the entire franchise to hit the 218 million copies sold milestone.
When taking a larger look at Capcom’s strategy with the Resident Evil franchise, 2017 marked the company taking the series more seriously again with the release of Resident Evil 7. This was followed up with remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3. The story of Ethan Winters, which had begun in 2017, was then brought to its conclusion in 2021’s Resident Evil Village. Since then, the franchise has largely focused on Leon Kennedy thanks to the remake of Resident Evil 4 in 2023 and his presence as one of the two protagonists in Resident Evil Requiem.
Looking to the future, Capcom will focus once more on other characters from across the franchise – namely Chris and Claire Redfield – with its remake of Resident Evil – Code: Veronica. Dubbed Resident Evil Veronica, the title is slated for release in 2027 and is being developed for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. Along with this, the company is also working on a story expansion for Requiem.
