The next mainline Resident Evil game is in development, game director Koshi Nakanishi confirmed Monday in a video streamed by Capcom.
Nakanishi was the director of Resident Evil 7 biohazard and Resident Evil: Revelations, and also served as a designer on Resident Evil 5. In other words, Nakanishi’s games have both steered Resident Evil back toward its horror roots, while also trying to reinvent the franchise in important ways.
In confirming the new Resident Evil, Nakanishi said, “It was really difficult to figure out what to do after [Resident Evil 7]. But I found it, and to be honest it feels substantial.” Nakanishi said he couldn’t say more about the next game, the follow-up to Resident Evil Village, but hoped that fans will look forward to its official reveal.
2017’s Resident Evil 7 biohazard was a major turn for the franchise, shifting the action from third-person to first-person and introducing a new playable protagonist, Ethan Winters. Village, released in 2021, is said by Capcom to be the end of the Winters family saga, meaning Resident Evil 9 will likely feature the return of a classic Resident Evil hero or another brand-new character.
The most recent entry in Capcom’s survival horror franchise was last year’s remake of Resident Evil 4, which starred Leon S. Kennedy. The Separate Ways add-on starring Ada Wong was released for RE4 in September 2023.
Capcom is reported to have multiple Resident Evil projects in development, including remakes of Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica. There’s no official release window for Resident Evil 9, but given Capcom’s recent cadence of releasing a sequel or remake every other year, we could see the next Resident Evil as early as 2025.
