resident Evil is in one of its best moments. Capcom managed to leave behind a dark time for the franchise, when we suffered with terrible spin-offs and main installments that did not meet expectations. Now, the saga has the treatment it deserves with very high quality remakes and excellent numbered titles.
The future of the franchise looks bright with rumored projects that fans are eager to get their hands on. However, Capcom will sooner or later face a dilemma when it no longer has any more remakes to make, it must put nostalgia aside and betting once again on spin-offs and other types of original titles.
resident Evil evolved between triumphs and failures
resident Evil is one of the most important franchises in the industry for many reasons. Its original trilogy represented a watershed in terms of video game design, technological advancement and, of course, it was a revolution for horror and the genre. survival horror.
It experienced its first golden age precisely with its first 3 main installments, which became the model to follow for many games in terms of narrative, character development, world creation, mechanics, setting and much more.
Capcom knew what it had on its hands, so it did everything it could to keep the main series under very high quality standards. This also applied to some spin-offs and re-releases, such as Resident Evil CODE:Veronicathe remake of resident Evil and Resident Evil 0.
The company generated another revolution with its saga thanks to the launch of Resident Evil 4a delivery that laid the foundation for future action and survival horror games thanks to its dynamic combat, improved controls and the introduction of the iconic shoulder camera.
However, things changed little by little and the standards of the saga began to decline. In an attempt to diversify resident Evil, Capcom approved countless projects that tormented fans rather than delighting them. The result was a series of spin-off titles that were interesting experiments, but negatively affected the franchise’s reputation.
There are many examples: Resident Evil: Dead Aim, Outbreak, The Umbrella Chronicles, Survivor, The Darkside Chronicles, Operation Raccoon City, Umbrella Corps, Resistance, Revelations 2among others. All of them attempted to take the saga to a more action-focused proposal or to the field of multiplayer games. The problem is that, in order to do so, Capcom partially abandoned the franchise formula and delivered titles of very dubious quality.
Although there were a few exceptions, such as Resident Evil: Revelationsthis trend affected the main line of games and fans were very vocal. Resident Evil 5 and resident Evil 6 they had a Mixed reception for not sticking to the essence of the saga. Added to this were a number of mobile titles, pachinko machines and various films that did little to keep the franchise’s high profile intact. Sales did not decline, but Capcom was aware that its series was going through a crisis.
Fortunately, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village managed to revive the series and bring it back to its golden age. These games represent another revolution for both the series itself and the horror genre in general. Their return to pure survival horror, deep immersion, and the amazing visuals achieved with the RE Engine were enough to win back fans and revitalize the franchise.
The cherry on the cake was the excellent remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3 and 4which set the standard for bringing back classics that generations of gamers love. Now, Capcom is preparing to present the future of the series and everything looks promising.
What awaits you resident Evil in the future?
Capcom found the formula for success for its survival horror series and has no plans to abandon it. According to leaks, the company is already working on the next main installment and, in addition, is planning several remakes of beloved games that have marked several generations of fans.
We know that Resident Evil 9 has been in development for some time, and will star iconic characters and will depart in several ways from the last two main installments. For starters, it will leave the Winters family behind and, according to various sources, will focus more on action than horror.
Likewise, Capcom is said to have planned multiplayer elements for the new title, but partially scrapped them at some point in development. Some fans fear that these leaks are accurate, feeling that the studio could return to the days of Resident Evil 5 and 6.
As for the remakes, Screenfire Germany recently shared very interesting information. His sources claim that a new version of Resident Evil CODE: Veronica is on the way and has been in development for several months. Supposedly, Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, producer of the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 4is working on the project. In addition, it is said that the game will have some adjustments to give a more relevant role to certain characters, such as Rodrigo.
Another remake that would be in development would be that of Resident Evil 0which would retain its mechanics of alternating characters and add an online cooperative mode. The project would be in the hands of M-Two, who collaborated on previous remakes of the franchise. It is said that Capcom will cut little or no content from these games, as the budget for remakes will be even larger.
Screenfire Germany mentions that the rumored and already denied new remake of Resident Evil 1 is under discussion at Capcom, but is not in active development. On the other hand, a part of the company supposedly wants to make a remake of Resident Evil 5but there are concerns about its subject matter and a possible controversy over racism. It is worth remembering that this installment was harshly criticized for being set in Africa, for the presentation of its inhabitants and the use of various stereotypes. For this reason, the company is still not convinced about when or how to make this remake, according to reports.
The source mentions that there were also talks to develop possible new versions of resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil Revelations. Apparently, no one was interested in the first project and, for now, there is no further information on the status of the second title. Finally, in recent days a record of the original version of the first was discovered resident Evil for PC. This has been confirmed and we know that the original trilogy will be returning with DRM-free computer releases that will have some quality of life improvements.
All that being said, the future of the series looks good. Capcom still has potential projects to keep players captive and continue with the strategy that has worked so far, but what will happen when it can no longer resort to nostalgia and has to bet on more original games?
resident Evil must overcome nostalgia
Capcom must be careful with the future of resident Evil, especially after having left behind a dark era with low-quality spin-offs. Although the saga experienced a renaissance with excellent remakes and successful main installments, the company faces the challenge of maintaining this good streak in the long term.
History tells us that Capcom usually stumbles over the same stone several times. For this reason, there is a possibility that they will return the spin-offs of dubious quality or the little-desired multiplayer titlesonce there are no more remakes to be made.
Resident Evil Re:Verse made it clear that deviating from the franchise formula is still a mistake. It is crucial that new projects respect the elements that have made the saga great. No doubt, some will prefer that Capcom concentrate exclusively on the main saga, but this is unlikely to happen, considering that this is one of its goose that lays the golden eggs. That said, spin-offs and subseries seem inevitable.
Resident Evil Revelations and Resident Evil CODE: Veronica are proof that non-numbered titles can also deliver and be excellent. For now, it’s hard to know which path Capcom will take, but it’s clear that resident Evil has a great future, even beyond nostalgia.
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