Resident Evil Requiem has a complicated history, and we’re not talking about the lore (yes, The Darkside Chronicles is essential and I won’t hear otherwise). Rumors have circulated for years, including one where development was rebooted to move away from open-world and multiplayer elements. But how long has the survival horror title, especially this current iteration, been in the works?
In an interview with PlayStation Blog Japan (translated by GamesRadar+), director Koshi Nakanishi reveals that development began “on small scale” about six years ago. “However, the current form that everyone has now played came to be about three years ago.” Which would explain how it could so easily pivot towards a single-player experience.
There’s bound to be some slight confusion because Resident Evil Village was released in 2021. Nakanishi further narrows down the timeline, noting that, “We started development after the apparent conclusion of Ethan’s story with Resident Evil 7, and what would be the eighth numbered title, Resident Evil Village.” And for what it’s worth, the latter was directed by Morisama Sato, leaving Nakanishi to focus on Requiem.
Both titles played a significant role in shaping the design philosophy for the next game’s environments. However, the team ultimately decided to return to Raccoon City in response to player feedback. Nakanishi acknowledges their disconnected nature from most of the lore and how the team was motivated to “get back to that story.”
“We’re thankful that Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 8 received high praise, but they were written to be somewhat disconnected from the story up through Resident Evil 6. Because of this, we began work on this project as we thought it was about time to get back to that story.”
Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27th, and unlike previous entries, there won’t be a demo. That hasn’t stopped pre-orders from exceeding Capcom’s expectations, though, and it could very well drive its revenue to new highs.