Resident Evil 4 Remake is Reportedly in Development
The Resident Evil series is in kind of a weird position right now. The last mainline entry in the series was Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, a first-person entry that released in 2017. Since then, Capcom has doubled down their focus on remakes of the franchise's classics. This has resulted in both a Resident Evil 2 remake and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis remake releasing within the past two years. Development on them both began nearly simultaneously, and both have performed very well for Capcom. With RE3's remake out, the dust has settled, and we're all left to wonder: What's next for Resident Evil? A new game? Another remake? As the rumors would tell you: Wildly different things. In a new report posted by VGC, the website reveals that 'multiple development sources' have told them that a Resident Evil 4 remake is now in development, set to release sometime in 2022. Say what?
Before we continue, do note that this remains firmly in rumor territory until Capcom officially confirms said reports and sources. According to VGC, the project is being developed by M-Two, an Osaka based studio that assisted Capcom in their development of the RE3 remake. The studio was founded by PlatinumGames' previous president Tatsuya Minami. Series co-creator Shinji Mikami will reportedly be assisting the RE4 remake with advice and passive guidance, apparently having given it his go-ahead. The game will supposedly have other notable members on the team, including developers from both the RE2 and Devil May Cry V teams. That's where the information behind it ends, however. It's not quite clear what the remake would be like, or how much might be changed from the 2005 GameCube original.
Resident Evil 4 went on to be one of the most popular games in the series, serving as a radical departure from everything that came before it. Set in a Spain countryside, players take control of RE2's Leon S. Kennedy, who must rescue the President's daughter from a deadly cult. The game was notable for doing away with the series' formula of fixed camera angles, putting the action right in your face with an over-the-shoulder third-person shooting system. RE4 also marked the series full dive into more action-oriented survival horror, something that started creeping up with the more action-focused RE3 before it. This went on to affect RE5 and RE6, both of which got criticism for leaning too heavily into the action side of survival horror.
It's interesting timing that this rumor should be circulating, considering just last week's reports dropped about Capcom planning development of a Resident Evil 8. According to THAT rumor, Resident Evil 8 is planned for release in 2021 and will return to the first-person gameplay Resident Evil 7 introduced to the series. Considering how well RE7 sold and performed critically, it wouldn't be too surprising if this were true. And since the development of the RE4 remake is supposedly being handled by an entirely different studio, this frees up Capcom to focus their efforts on RE8. Whether any of this is true or not remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: It's an exciting time to be a Resident Evil fan. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any more information regarding these two titles. VGC has the full story behind the RE4 remake, or at least, what they were able to figure out from the developers. As for Resident Evil 3, the remake recently released on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Make sure to give it a look: New-and-improved Nemesis is quite terrifying.
Tanner is a freelance writer. He enjoys all things video games, particularly the weirder ones, and can often be found drinking coffee and trying to get through his backlog.
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